Beliefs & Practices

short readsApr 18, 2014

When Easter and Christmas near, more Americans search online for “church”

More Americans search for “church” around Easter than at any other time, with the Christmas season usually ranking second, according to Google Trends data.
short readsApr 16, 2014

Europeans hold more liberal views on moral issues

Europeans are consistently more liberal than Latin Americans, Asians, Africans, and Middle Easterners when it comes to judging what things are morally acceptable or not.
short readsApr 16, 2014

Africans among the most morally opposed to contraception

Five sub-Saharan African nations – Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Senegal – rank among the nine countries with the most moral opposition to contraception
short readsApr 14, 2014

Attending a Seder is common practice for American Jews

Percentage of U.S. Jews who say they participated in a Seder last year.
short readsApr 4, 2014

U.S. doesn’t rank high in religious diversity

From a global perspective, the United States really is not all that religiously diverse.
short readsMar 17, 2014

Support for gay marriage up among black Protestants in last year, flat among white evangelicals

New Pew Research Center data from 2014 show that just within the past year, growing shares of some Christian groups favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry.
reportMar 13, 2014

Worldwide, Many See Belief in God as Essential to Morality
reportMar 6, 2014

U.S. Catholics View Pope Francis as a Change for the Better

One year into his pontificate, Pope Francis remains immensely popular among American Catholics and is widely seen as a force for positive change within the Roman Catholic Church. More than 80% of U.S. Catholics say they have a favorable view of the pontiff.
short readsFeb 25, 2014

Arizona bill sparks debate about religious objections to gay marriage

The bill would allow business owners to cite religious beliefs as a reason for denying services – including to same-sex couples – without fear of legal retribution.
short readsFeb 3, 2014

Bill Nye vs. Ken Ham: Are evolution and religion at odds?

Religion and evolution will take center stage Tuesday evening in Petersburg, Ky., home of the Creation Museum and the site of a debate between Ken Ham, the museum’s founder, and Bill Nye. The topic: “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?”