Religious Groups Differ Widely in Their 2026 Midterm Preferences
White evangelical Protestants and White Catholics favor Republicans in the midterms, while other religious groups split or lean Democratic.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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8 facts about atheists
Around six-in-ten U.S. atheists are men (64%). And seven-in-ten are ages 49 or younger, compared with about half of U.S. adults overall (52%).
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From Businesses and Banks to Colleges and Churches: Americans’ Views of U.S. Institutions
Americans overwhelmingly see small businesses as having a positive effect on the way things are going in the country. By contrast, their views of large corporations are broadly negative. And most people – including identical shares in both parties – are critical of the impact of banks and financial institutions.
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Religious ‘Nones’ in America: Who They Are and What They Believe
28% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular” when asked about their religion.
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Has the rise of religious ‘nones’ come to an end in the U.S.?
Although it’s possible that the “nones” have leveled off, it’s also possible that their growth has continued, but at a gradual pace that is difficult to see in the data.
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Language and Traditions Are Considered Central to National Identity
Across more than 20 countries surveyed, a median of 91% say being able to speak their country’s most common language is important for being considered a true national. And 81% say sharing their country’s customs and traditions is important for true belonging.
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Around 4 in 10 Americans have become more spiritual over time; fewer have become more religious
Most Americans are spiritual or religious in some way and many also say their spirituality and level of religiosity have changed over time.
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A majority of Americans have a friend of a different religion
About six-in-ten U.S. adults say only some (43%) or hardly any or none (18%) of their friends have the same religion they do.
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China’s Christian population appears to have stopped growing after rising rapidly in the 1980s and ’90s
Between 2010 and 2018, the share of Chinese adults who identify with Christianity remained stable at about 2%.
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Americans’ Views of the Israel-Hamas War
65% of Americans say Hamas bears a lot of responsibility for the current conflict, compared with 35% who say this about the Israeli government.
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Spirituality Among Americans
Overall, 70% of U.S. adults describe themselves as spiritual in some way, including 22% who are spiritual but not religious. An overwhelming majority of U.S. adults (83%) say they believe that people have a soul or spirit in addition to their physical body. And 81% say there is something spiritual beyond the natural world, even if we cannot see it.
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In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad
Across 25 countries, Americans are the most likely to see the morality and ethics of people in their country as somewhat or very bad.
Religious Diversity Around the World
Singapore is the world’s most religiously diverse country overall as of 2020, while Yemen is the least diverse. But the U.S. ranks first among nations with very large populations, followed by Nigeria and Russia.
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off
The Christian share of the population, after years of decline, has been relatively stable since 2019. And the religiously unaffiliated population, after rising rapidly for decades, has leveled off – at least temporarily.
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.
