Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Home Research Topics Religion

Religion

Icon for promotion number 1

Sign up for our Religion newsletter

Sent weekly on Wednesday

Thank you for subscribing!

All

Religion

Publications

Refine Your Results

  • report

    To End Our Days

    In recent years, legislatures and courts, religious leaders and scientists, citizens and patient advocates have all weighed in on end-of-life issues ranging from whether the terminally ill should have the right to take their own lives to how much treatment and sustenance those in the last stages of life should receive.

  • report

    Religious Groups’ Views on End-of-Life Issues

    Religious leaders, scholars and ethicists from 16 major American religious groups explain how their faith traditions’ teachings address physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia and other end-of-life questions.

  • feature

    Timeline: Key Dates in the End-of-Life Debate

    Issues surrounding the end of life have been debated since long before New York became the first state to explicitly outlaw assisted suicide in 1828. This timeline looks at major events on the topic in the U.S. since the 1960s. Related Publications: Nov. 21, 2013 Views on End-of-Life Medical Treatments Nov. 21, 2013 To End […]

  • short reads

    Beirut bombings follow fears of Syrian war fallout

    A pair of suicide bombings today struck near the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon, the latest violence in a country where concerns have run high about Iran’s influence and the spillover of violence from the civil war in Syria.

  • short reads

    Muslim holiday of Ashura brings into focus Shia-Sunni differences

    Each year, millions of Shia pilgrims visit the shrine of one of their most revered figures – Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. While Ashura is sacred for all Muslims, it is especially important to Shias, illustrating some of the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

  • short reads

    What happens when Jews intermarry?

    Does intermarriage lead to assimilation and weaken the Jewish community? Or does it strengthen and diversify the Jewish community?

  • report

    Many Sunnis and Shias Worry About Religious Conflict

    This week Sunni and Shia Muslims ushered in the Islamic New Year and the beginning of the holy month of Muharram. For Shias, the month also is a time to mourn the events that sparked the centuries-old schism between Shia and Sunni Muslims. An analysis of polls conducted in 2011-2012 finds high levels of concern about sectarian tensions in several countries where Sunnis and Shias live side by side.

  • short reads

    Evangelicals’ support not enough to turn tide for Cuccinelli in Virginia governor race

    Despite strong support for Republican Ken Cuccinelli from white evangelical voters, Democrat Terry McAuliffe defeated Cuccinelli on Tuesday in Virginia’s 2013 gubernatorial election by a 48%-45% margin. In New Jersey, Republican Chris Christie won re-election over Democrat Barbara Buono (60% to 38%) with strong support from both Protestants and Catholics. Virginia Eight-in-ten white evangelical voters […]

Signature Reports

data essay

Key Findings From the Global Religious Futures Project

The Global Religious Futures (GRF) project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The John Templeton Foundation. Here are some big-picture findings from the GRF, together with context from other Pew Research Center studies.

Features