Religion & Government

short readsMay 4, 2016

5 facts about prayer

For the National Day of Prayer, we rounded up survey data on Americans’ prayer habits, as well as historical instances of prayer intersecting with the government.
reportApr 27, 2016

The Divide Over Islam and National Laws in the Muslim World

There are striking differences in the extent to which people think the Quran should influence their nation’s laws, according to surveys across 10 countries with significant Muslim populations.
reportFeb 3, 2016

Republicans Prefer Blunt Talk About Islamic Extremism, Democrats Favor Caution

Half of Americans say the next president should be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole when speaking about Islamic extremists, while four-in-ten want the next president to speak bluntly about Islamic extremists even if the statements are critical of Islam as a whole.
short readsJan 27, 2016

5 key findings about faith and politics in the 2016 presidential race

Religion has long been entangled in America’s politics and its political campaigns.
reportJan 27, 2016

Faith and the 2016 Campaign

GOP contender Donald Trump is not widely viewed as religious, even among Republicans. And the share of Americans who say Hillary Clinton is not a religious person has risen sharply since she first ran for president eight years ago.
short readsOct 5, 2015

California legalizes assisted suicide amid growing support for such laws

Two-thirds of Americans say doctors should be allowed by law to assist patients who are terminally ill and living in severe pain to commit suicide.
short readsAug 5, 2015

5 questions about the contraception mandate

The Obama administration has issued its final regulations governing how the Affordable Care Act’s mandate to provide contraception coverage applies to religiously affiliated nonprofits and businesses. But the announcement has done little to quell the objections of some religious groups. As the debate over the mandate continues, here are five questions and answers about the controversy.
short readsJul 13, 2015

Some major U.S. religious groups differ from their members on the death penalty

Many large religious groups have taken positions in opposition to the death penalty even though that stance is sometimes at odds with the opinions of their adherents.
reportJul 1, 2015

Chapter 4: Evolution and Perceptions of Scientific Consensus

This chapter looks at public views about human evolution and perceptions of scientific consensus about evolution and the creation of the universe. Consistent with past Pew Research surveys and other public surveys, religious groups play a central role in beliefs about these topics. Numerous other factors also influence public views about evolution, however, including politics, […]
short readsJun 26, 2015

How the Supreme Court’s decision for gay marriage could affect religious institutions

Some legal scholars and others are trying to determine how a ruling granting same-sex couples a constitutional right to wed might affect religious institutions.