Religious Beliefs and Practices

In 2018, the global median level of government restrictions on religion – that is, laws, policies and actions by officials that impinge on religious beliefs and practices – continued to climb, reaching an all-time high since Pew Research Center began tracking these trends in 2007.

In most of the 18 countries analyzed, religiously unaffiliated adults were more likely to say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

U.S. Hispanic teens are more likely than U.S. teens overall to identify as Catholic and say it’s necessary to believe in God to be moral.

While teens in the United States take after their parents religiously in many ways, they stand out in some others.

American adolescents often participate at parents’ behest, and tend to be less religious in more personal, private ways.

Among those who are religiously unaffiliated, meanwhile, the vast majority (84%) say casual sex is sometimes or always acceptable.

Most U.S. adults say that they expect to go back to attending religious services in person as often as they did before the outbreak.

Republicans and Democrats' opinions differ on many aspects of the outbreak, including views about religious practices during the pandemic.

Black and Hispanic worshippers are less likely than their white counterparts to say they have gone to a house of worship recently.

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.