Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Religion

  • fact sheet

    Politics and the Pulpit 2008

    During every election cycle, many religious congregations find themselves wondering what role, if any, they can play in the political process. Can a minister, rabbi, imam or other member of the clergy endorse a candidate from the pulpit or speak on political issues of interest to voters? Is a church or other house of worship […]

  • transcript

    Between Relativism and Fundamentalism: Is There a Middle Ground?

    Washington, D.C. Peter Berger, an eminent sociologist of religion and a lifelong Lutheran, asked himself several years ago: “Would my moral convictions change if I woke up tomorrow as an atheist?” For Berger, this perplexing question led to a research project involving fellow Judeo-Christian religious thinkers, which will culminate in the publication of two books, […]

  • feature

    Video: The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Overview

    Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans ages 18 and older, this extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details the religious affiliation of the American public. Pew Forum Director Luis Lugo gives an overview of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey and talks about some of its key findings. […]

  • feature

    Video: Is the ‘God Gap’ Closing?

    In new books, Amy Sullivan of Time magazine and E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post contend the “God gap” between Democratic and Republican Voters is closing, with implications for the 2008 election. They discussed their books with journalists at a recent Pew Forum event. Read the full transcript >>

  • transcript

    Is the ’God Gap’ Closing?

    Washington, D.C. http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf?autostart=false&brandname=Pew%20Forum&brandlink=http:%2F%2Fpewforum%2Eorg&showplayerpath=http://blip.tv/scripts/flash/showplayer.swf&file=http://isthegodgapclosing.blip.tv/rss/flash?sort=date&nsfw=dc&user=GGForum&showguidebutton=false&showsharebutton=true&showfsbutton=true&showplaylist=true&smokeduration=0 One significant pattern in the 2004 presidential election was the tendency of religiously observant Americans to vote Republican and the less observant to vote Democratic. But recent events suggest that this pattern, dubbed the “God gap,” may be changing, as reflected in the results of the 2006 midterm elections and the increased […]

  • report

    Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life to Release U.S. Religious Landscape Survey

    Study shows most detailed estimates to date of the size and demographic characteristics of religious groups in the United States Washington, D.C.—In a noon conference call for journalists on Monday, Feb. 25, 2008, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life will release the first report of a landmark survey that details the religious affiliation […]

  • transcript

    UCLA Study: Students Become More Spiritual in College

    Photo Credit: Peter M. Fisher/Corbis With a six-year grant from the John Templeton Foundation, UCLA’s Higher Education Research Institute conducted a longitudinal study to assess the spirituality of college students during their undergraduate years. The study finds that while attendance at religious services decreased dramatically for most students between their freshman and junior years, the […]

  • transcript

    Does McCain Need Evangelical Voters?

    John McCain has been subject to criticism from evangelical Christian leaders, such as James Dobson, in recent weeks. Pew Forum Senior Fellow John Green looks at the importance of the evangelical vote for the McCain campaign, the impact of Mitt Romney’s withdrawal on the race for the Republican nomination and the challenges posed by religious […]

  • report

    U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious Affiliation

    An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the […]