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47% of U.S. Adults Have a Personal or Family Connection to Catholicism

Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) claim some connection to the Catholic faith, including 20% who say they are Catholic when asked about their present religion.

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    CyberFaith: How Americans Pursue Religion Online

    One in four Internet users has gotten religious or spiritual information online at one point or another. The September 11 terror attacks compelled millions of Internet users to turn to religious issues and concerns online. The most popular online religious activities are solitary ones, such as hunting for general spiritual information online.

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    The Role of Religion in Public Life (Washington)

    2:00 – 4:30 p.m. National Press Club Washington, D.C. MIKE ARMACOST (President, Brookings Institution): It’s a great pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the Brookings Institution and, of course, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. In recent years a new dialogue has started on what congregations’ proper roles are in lifting up […]

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    The Role of Religion in Public Life (New York)

    12:00 – 1:30 p.m. New York, New York E.J. DIONNE: I’d like to welcome everyone to this discussion and celebration of our book, Sacred Places, Civic Purposes: Should Government Help Faith-Based Charity? We are blessed to have so many wonderful people with us today at this discussion sponsored by the Brookings Institution and the Pew […]

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    Post September 11 Attitudes

    Introduction and Summary The Sept. 11 attacks have increased the prominence of religion in the United States to an extraordinary degree, but not at the expense of acceptance of religious minorities. Fully 78% now say religion’s influence in American life is growing ­ up from 37% eight months ago and the highest mark on this […]

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    Keeping the Faith: The Role of Religion and Faith Communities in Preventing Teen Pregnancy

    Washington, D.C. Panelists John J. DiIulio, Ph.D., Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Senator Joseph Lieberman (invited) Bill Galston, Ph.D., Chair, National Campaign’s Task Force on Religion and Public Values Barbara Dafoe Whitehead, Ph.D., Co-Director, National Marriage Project Brian Wilcox, Ph.D., Director, Center on Children, Families, and the Law, Univ. of Nebraska […]

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    Reinventing Regulation: Religious social service providers and others react to the White House Office on Faith-Based and Community Initiatives’ report

    Washington, D.C. Discussants: Gary Bass, OMB Watch Rev. Stephen Burger, International Union of Gospel Missions Bill Faith, Ohio Coalition on Housing and Homelessness Richard Foltin, American Jewish Committee Richard G. Overmoyer, Jr., Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare Darren Walker, Abyssinian Development Corporation Moderated by: Melissa Rogers, Executive Director of the Pew Forum on Religion & […]

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    Moral Freedom: The Search for Virtue in a World of Choice

    Washington, D.C. Panelists include: Alan Wolfe, author, Professor of political science and Director, Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life, Boston College Wendy Kaminer, Affiliated Scholar, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and columnist, The American Prospect Peggy Steinfels,Editor, Commonweal and Co-director, American Catholics in the Public Square project Terry Teachout, contributor […]

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    Good News From the Supreme Court? Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Good News Club v. Milford Central School

    Washington, D.C. Discussants: Thomas Marcelle, Attorney for the Petitioners, Good News Club Elliot Mincberg, Vice President, People for the American Way Foundation Steven Sheinberg, Assistant Director, Legal Affairs, Anti-Defamation League K. Hollyn Hollman, General Counsel, Baptist Joint Committee Moderated by: Melissa Rogers, Executive Director, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life MS. MELISSA ROGERS: Good […]

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    Religious Reflections on the Death Penalty

    Washington, D.C. Discussants: John Carr, Secretary, Department of Social Development and World Peace, US Catholic Conference Nathan Diament, Director of Public Policy, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Barrett Duke, Vice President of Research, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Southern Baptist Convention Rev. Joseph Lowery, Chairman, Black Leadership Forum and Co-founder, President Emeritus, Southern […]

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    Charity Tax Credits: Federal Policy and Three Leading States

    Washington, D.C. Charity Tax Credits: Federal Policy and Three Leading States, paper presented by Margy Waller, Former White House Senior Advisor for Welfare and Working Families Discussants: Mark Anderson, Arizona State Representative (R) Robert Boisture, Counsel, Independent Sector, and Member, Caplin & Drysdale Sharon Daly, Vice President for Social Policy, Catholic Charities USA Michael J. […]

Signature Reports

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Key Findings From the Global Religious Futures Project

The Global Religious Futures (GRF) project is jointly funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and The John Templeton Foundation. Here are some big-picture findings from the GRF, together with context from other Pew Research Center studies.

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Members of the incoming 119th Congress will be sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2025. (Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images)

Faith on the Hill

Christians will make up 87% of voting members in the Senate and House of Representatives, combined, in the 2025-27 congressional session.

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