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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Stem Cell Research in the Courts and on the Campaign Trail
Embryonic stem cell research has become a hot topic in the courts and in campaigns in several states, including Florida, Wisconsin and Iowa. On Sept. 28, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., said federally funded stem cell research projects could continue while the appeals court reviews an Aug. 23 […]
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Support For Same-Sex Marriage Edges Upward
In This Report: Persistent Generational Divide Partisan and Ideological Differences Race and Gender Gaps White Catholics More Supportive Same-Sex Marriage and the 2010 Vote Gays in the Military About the Surveys Detailed tables (120 KB PDF) Full report (260 KB PDF) In this research package Same-Sex Marriage in the U.S. An overview of the gay […]
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Pastors Defy Federal Tax Law and Endorse Candidates from the Pulpit
About 100 pastors across the country took part in “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” on Sept. 26 by endorsing political candidates during their sermons, ABC News reports. The event was organized as part of a protest against a provision in the Internal Revenue Code that bars houses of worship and other tax-exempt organizations from supporting or opposing […]
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U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey
Executive Summary Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions. On average, Americans correctly answer 16 of the 32 religious knowledge questions on the […]
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The Environment, Religion and the 2010 Elections
Candidates in Illinois and Florida, as well as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, have raised the environment as an issue during this election season, sometimes framing the topic in religious or moral terms. One candidate prioritizing the environment is Democrat Ben Lowe, who is challenging incumbent Republican Peter Roskam in the race to represent […]
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“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the 2010 Elections
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” – the 17-year-old policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military – has become a heated issue in elections in Nevada, Missouri and Florida. The issue gained prominence in late May, when the Senate Armed Services Committee and the full House of Representatives voted to allow the Department of […]
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Few Say Religion Shapes Immigration, Environment Views
Overview Many Americans continue to say their religious beliefs have been highly influential in shaping their views about social issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. But far fewer cite religion as a top influence on their opinions about several other social and political issues, including how the government should deal with immigration, the environment and […]
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Few Say Religion Shapes Immigration, Environment Views
Many Americans continue to say their religious beliefs have been highly influential in shaping their views about social issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. But far fewer cite religion as a top influence on their opinions about several other social and political issues, including how the government should deal with immigration, the environment and poverty. […]
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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.
