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
Read our research on:
Religion
Sign up for our Religion newsletter
Sent weekly on Wednesday
All
Religion
Publications
-
Religion in the News: Islam and Politics Dominate Religion Coverage in 2011
The biggest religion stories of 2011 involved tensions over Islam and questions about faith in presidential politics, especially Mormonism, according to an annual review of religion in the news.
-
Religion and the Presidential Campaign: February Update
A new Pew Research Center poll finds that Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney are now virtually tied in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Santorum’s improving fortunes in the GOP race have been buoyed by a surge in support among white evangelicals, who now express a clear preference for Santorum over Romney and Newt Gingrich.
-
Public Divided Over Birth Control Insurance Mandate
Overview About six-in-ten Americans (62%) have heard about the proposed federal rule that would require employers, including most religiously affiliated institutions, to cover birth control as part of their health care benefits. Among those aware of the issue, opinion is closely divided over whether these institutions should be given an exemption to the rule if […]
-
Public Divided Over Birth Control Insurance Mandate
Americans who have heard about the federal rule that would require employers to provide birth control as part of their health care benefits are closely divided over whether religiously affiliated institutions should be given an exemption. Sharp divisions of opinion exist on the issue by religious affiliation, party and ideology.
-
Religion and Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Feb. 7 that a 2008 California referendum banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. According to the Pew Research Center’s latest polling on the issue, support for same-sex marriage varies by religious group.
-
Religion and the 2012 Nevada Republican Caucuses
Romney’s win included overwhelming support from Mormons and strong support from Catholic voters. He also won among white born-again/evangelical Protestants, though his support from that group continues to be somewhat more tepid than among non-evangelicals.
-
Religion and the 2012 Florida Republican Primary
In his commanding win in the Florida Republican primary, Mitt Romney received strong support from Catholics and from voters who do not describe themselves as white born-again/evangelical Christians. Among both white evangelicals and Protestant voters, Romney ran about even with Newt Gingrich.
-
Religion and the 2012 South Carolina Republican Primary
In his South Carolina Republican primary win, Newt Gingrich received strong support from born-again/evangelical Christians and from voters who said that it is important to them that a candidate shares their religious beliefs.
REfine Your Selection
Signature Reports
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.
