Why Do Some Americans Leave Their Religion While Others Stay?
Many U.S. adults (35%) have moved on from the religion of their youth. Yet most Americans have not, including a majority – 56% – who still identify with their childhood religion.
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Few Americans Blame God or Say Faith Has Been Shaken Amid Pandemic, Other Tragedies
In the new survey, the Center attempted for the first time to pose some of these philosophical questions to a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, finding that Americans largely blame random chance – along with people’s own actions and the way society is structured – for human suffering, while relatively few believers blame God or voice doubts about the existence of God for this reason.
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In their own words, how Americans explain why bad things happen
Why is there so much suffering and evil in the world? This question can be particularly confounding for those who believe in a good and all-powerful God, as is often described in the Abrahamic religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For centuries, philosophers and theologians have grappled with this “problem of evil.”
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Where people around the world find meaning in life
Nearly 19,000 adults in publics ranging from the UK, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the U.S., among others, share where they find meaning in their lives and what keeps them going.
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In U.S., Far More Support Than Oppose Separation of Church and State
Some Americans clearly long for a more avowedly religious and explicitly Christian country, a March survey finds. However, a clear majority of Americans do not accept these views.
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Fast facts as Biden meets with Pope Francis
Here are some recent survey findings about Joe Biden, the pope, the debate over whether the president should receive Communion, and more.
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Black adults in the U.S. South more likely than those in other regions to attend a Black congregation
Black Southerners diverge from other Black Americans – especially Northeasterners and Westerners – in other ways when it comes to religion.
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Across religious groups, a majority of Black Americans say opposing racism is an essential part of their faith
75% of Black Americans say that opposing racism is essential to their faith or sense of morality, a view that extends across faith traditions.
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In historically Black Protestant churches, regular attenders more likely to have received COVID-19 shot
82% of members of the historically Black Protestant tradition who attend church regularly have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
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Most Americans Who Go to Religious Services Say They Would Trust Their Clergy’s Advice on COVID-19 Vaccines
Most U.S. adults who regularly attend religious services voice confidence in their clergy to provide guidance on the coronavirus vaccine.
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Two-thirds of U.S. Catholics unaware of pope’s new restrictions on traditional Latin Mass
Weekly Mass-goers and Catholic Republicans express higher levels of disapproval of the pope’s new restrictions.
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Many Religious ‘Nones’ Around the World Hold Spiritual Beliefs
Many religious “nones,” which include atheists and agnostics, in 22 countries hold religious or spiritual beliefs, such as in an afterlife or something beyond the natural world.
47% of U.S. Adults Have a Personal or Family Connection to Catholicism
Nearly half of U.S. adults are connected to Catholicism. Read about going to Mass, Communion, confession and more.
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off
After years of decline, the U.S. Christian share now shows signs of leveling off. The new Religious Landscape Study explores trends in identity, beliefs and practices.
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.
