Religion

data essayJun 25, 2025

Nearly seven-in-ten Americans identify with a religion – higher than the shares seen in several other wealthy countries. Explore our interactive feature to see how the U.S. compares with more than 30 countries on questions about spirituality and religion.

Related: Believing in Spirits and Life After Death Is Common Around the World

short readJul 29, 2025

reportJun 16, 2025

Woman praying with rosary beads in hands

reportJun 9, 2025

Bar chart showing that Christians are the world’s largest religious group

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reportFeb 10, 2014

Russians Return to Religion, But Not to Church

Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christian rose from 31% to 72%, according to data from the International Social Survey Programme. During the same period, the share of Russia’s population that does not identify with any religion dropped from 61% to 18%.
short readsFeb 7, 2014

Sochi Olympics shine spotlight on Russia’s Muslim population

Security has been among the main storylines leading up to the Winter Olympics, set to begin in Sochi, Russia. Sochi is not far from the city of Volgograd, the target of several recent suicide bombings, and according to The Associated Press, up to 100,000 security personnel have been deployed to guard against potential terrorist acts. […]
short readsFeb 3, 2014

Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham: Are evolution and religion at odds?

Religion and evolution will take center stage Tuesday evening in Petersburg, Ky., home of the Creation Museum and the site of a debate between Ken Ham, the museum’s founder, and Bill Nye. The topic: “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?”
short readsJan 21, 2014

Pope Francis moves beyond Europe with first class of cardinals

Pope Francis named his first group of new cardinals, often called “princes of the church,” last week. The 19 men will be formally appointed next month. Media reports have observed that Francis, the first pope from outside Europe in modern times, chose several cardinals from the developing world. Francis’ immediate predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, selected […]
short readsJan 17, 2014

Key findings about growing religious hostilities around the world

Highlights from the fifth annual Pew Research Center study of religious hostilities around the world.
short readsJan 14, 2014

Q&A with author of U. Mich. study on preferred dress for women in Muslim countries

University of Michigan researcher Mansoor Moaddel explains the methods behind the survey and how the findings differ (or don’t) by gender, religion, age and education.
reportJan 14, 2014

Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High

A third of the 198 countries studied had a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion in 2012. About three-in-ten countries had a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion, roughly the same as in 2011.
short readsJan 8, 2014

How people in Muslim countries prefer women to dress in public

Even as publics in many of the surveyed Muslim-majority countries express a clear preference for women to dress conservatively, many also say women should be able to decide for themselves what to wear.
short readsDec 30, 2013

Russians say Islamic extremist groups are top concern

More than half of Russians say Islamic extremist groups are a major threat to their country.
reportDec 30, 2013

Public’s Views on Human Evolution

While 60% of Americans believe in human evolution, a third reject the idea. Beliefs about evolution differ strongly by religious group and also vary by party affiliation, gender, age and education.

Signature Reports

reportFeb 26, 2025

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.

data essayDec 21, 2022

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.

reportMay 21, 2025