Americans Have Positive Views About Religion’s Role in Society, but Want It Out of Politics
A large majority of Americans feel that religion is losing influence in public life, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Religion & Politics
All
Religion & Politics
Publications
-
-
In U.S., familiarity with religious groups is associated with warmer feelings toward them
Americans who personally know someone in a different religious group are more likely to feel positively about members of that group.
-
In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace
The religious landscape of the United States continues to change at a rapid clip, with both Protestantism and Catholicism experiencing losses of population share.
-
About a quarter of religiously affiliated teens in U.S. public schools say they pray before lunch
About a quarter of teens who identify with a religion and attend public school say they regularly pray before eating lunch at school.
-
For a Lot of American Teens, Religion Is a Regular Part of the Public School Day
Religion in public schools has long been a controversial issue. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1962 that teachers and administrators cannot lead prayers in public schools, and a decision in 2000 barred school districts from sponsoring student-led prayers at football games. At the same time, the court has held that students retain a First […]
-
Religion in the Public Schools
More than 55 years after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling striking down school-sponsored prayer, Americans continue to fight over the place of religion in public schools. Questions about religion in the classroom no longer make quite as many headlines as they once did, but the issue remains an important battleground in the broader […]
-
Among religious ‘nones,’ atheists and agnostics know the most about religion
Atheists and agnostics know more about religion than most other religious groups, while those with no particular religion are among the least knowledgeable.
-
U.S. Religious Knowledge Quiz
How much do you know about religion? And how do you compare with the average American? Here’s your chance to find out.
-
What Americans Know About Religion
Before you read the report Test your religious knowledge by taking an interactive quiz. The short quiz includes some questions recently asked in the nationally representative survey that forms the basis of this report. After completing the quiz, you can see how you did in comparison with the general public and with people like yourself. […]
-
Lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans are more critical of churches than straight adults are
About seven-in-ten LGB adults said churches and other religious organizations focus too much on rules, compared with half of straight adults.
