Catholics and Catholicism

Around half of Catholic registered voters describe themselves as Republicans, while 47% identify with the Democratic Party.

A median of 45% across 34 surveyed countries say it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values. However, public opinion on this question, as well as the role of God, prayer and religion varies by country, region and economic development.

Americans’ opinions of Pope Francis have rebounded slightly after hitting an all-time low almost two years ago in the wake of abuse scandals.

In Brazil – home to the world’s largest Catholic population – a majority of Catholics are in favor of allowing priests to marry.

This Pew Research Center analysis harnesses computational techniques to identify, collect and analyze the sermons that U.S. churches livestream or share on their websites each week.

Catholics have less confidence in their clergy's advice than Protestants – and are less likely to claim a close relationship with clergy.

Just 31% of U.S. Catholics believe that the bread and wine used in Communion become the body and blood of Christ. Nearly seven-in-ten say the Eucharist is symbolic.

A majority of U.S. adults say recent reports of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church reflect problems that are still happening.

More than 15 years after U.S. bishops pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, reports of previously unpublicized misconduct continue to receive wide media coverage.

Germany has seen a dramatic shift away from Protestantism – one that has greatly outpaced a decline in the share of Germans who are Catholic.