Many Religious ‘Nones’ Around the World Hold Spiritual Beliefs
Despite their nonreligious identity, many unaffiliated adults hold spiritual or religious beliefs. About a fifth or more in 22 countries believe in an afterlife, for example.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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Religion and Science
A majority of the public says science and religion often conflict, but people’s sense that they do seems to have less to do with their own religious beliefs than their perception of others’ beliefs.
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Positive Impact of Pope Francis on Views of the Church, Especially Among Democrats and Liberals
Pope Francis has generated goodwill toward the Catholic Church among many Americans across the political spectrum. But Democrats and liberals are especially likely to say they have a more positive view of the Church because of Francis.
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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.
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Catholics, especially Hispanics, echo pope’s call to embrace immigrants
Nearly nine-in-ten Hispanic Catholics (88%) say that undocumented immigrants who meet certain requirements should be able to stay in the U.S.
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What’s a sin? Catholics don’t always agree with their church
Almost nine-in-ten U.S. Catholics believe that some actions are offensive to God, but many American Catholics don’t agree with church teachings on what constitutes sinful behavior.
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5 facts about Communion and American Catholics
Pope Francis will celebrate Mass on an enormous scale Sunday, with 2 million people expected to gather on a mile-long parkway in downtown Philadelphia. We gathered key facts about Communion and U.S. Catholics for the occasion.
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Many U.S. Catholics will understand Pope Francis’ Spanish-language Mass
A majority of all Hispanic adults identify as Catholic and a large majority of Hispanic Catholics speak Spanish fluently. Eight-in-ten Hispanic Catholics use mostly Spanish or are bilingual. In fact, they are more likely to be Spanish speakers than non-Catholic Hispanics (68%).
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Among Catholics, fewer Latinos than whites seek changes to the church
On a variety of issues – such as recognizing gay marriages and determining eligibility for Holy Communion – Latino Catholics tend to be more aligned with the church than are white Catholics.
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A closer look at Catholics in Washington, New York and Philadelphia
On his first papal trip to the U. S., Pope Francis will visit three Northeastern cities that are within a few hundred miles of each other. But while New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., may be geographically close, their Catholic populations look different from one another in several ways.
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Half of U.S. adults raised Catholic have left the church at some point
Some older American Catholics might remember a time when people thought of the Catholic Church like a family: hard to ignore and even harder to leave. But a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. Catholics shows that at least some of these perceptions may no longer be entirely true.
Signature Reports
How the Global Religious Landscape Changed From 2010 to 2020
Christians remain the largest religious group, and Muslims grew the fastest from 2010 to 2020. Read how the global share of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated changed.
30% of Americans Consult Astrology, Tarot Cards or Fortune Tellers
Most who use astrology (or a horoscope), tarot cards or a fortune teller say they do so just for fun rather than for insights about life.
Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has Slowed, May Have Leveled Off
After years of decline, the U.S. Christian share now shows signs of leveling off. The new Religious Landscape Study explores trends in identity, beliefs and practices.
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.
