Surveys and Polls

The latest surveys and polls related to religion, beliefs, trends and current events. The Center updates reports periodically.

Quick Links to Survey Year: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000

2013

• Roe v. Wade at 40: Most Oppose Overturning Abortion Decision, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Jan. 16, 2013
• Nearly 3-in-10 Americans Say God Plays a Role in Sporting Events, Public Religion Research Institute, Jan. 29, 2013
• Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 2013
• Views of the Catholic Church Today: U.S. Catholics See Sex Abuse as the Church’s Most Important Problem, Charity as Its Most Important Contribution, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 6, 2013
• U.S. Catholics Happy with Selection of Pope Francis, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 18, 2013
• Citizenship, Values, and Cultural Concerns: What Americans Want from Immigration Reform, Public Religion Research Institute, March 21, 2013
• Religiosity in 189 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Gallup, March 29, 2013
• Christianity as State Religion Supported by One-Third of Americans, Huffington Post/YouGov, April 6, 2013
• General Public, Christian Young Adults Divided on Marijuana Legalization, Public Religion Research Institute, April 25, 2013

2012

• British Social Attitudes Survey 2012, National Centre for Social Research (UK), January 2012
• Poll: Pastors oppose evolution, split on Earth’s age, LifeWay Research, Jan. 9, 2012
• Mormons in America — Certain in their beliefs, uncertain of their place in society, The Pew Research Center, Jan. 12, 2012
• Israeli Jews becoming more religious, The Israel Democracy Institute and AVI CHAI Foundation, Jan. 29, 2012
• Pakistan Religious Identity Online Survey, The Express Tribune, February 2012
• Trends in Party Identification of Religious Groups, The Pew Research Center, Feb. 2, 2012
• Religion and the 2012 Republican Primaries: Alabama and Mississippi, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 14, 2012
• Majority of Americans do not believe religious liberty is under attack, Public Religion Research Institute/Religion News Survey, March 15, 2012
• More See “Too Much” Religious Talk by Politicians, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 21, 2012
• Religion in Prisons: A 50-State Survey of Prison Chaplains, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, March 22, 2012
• Chosen for What? Jewish Values in 2012, Public Religion Research Institute/Religion News Survey, April 3, 2012
• “Belief about God Across Time and Countries,” National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, April 18, 2012
• A Generation in Transition: Religion, Values and Politics Among College-Age Millenials, Public Religion Research Institute/Religion News Survey, April 19, 2012
• The Transformation of Generation X: Shifts in Religious and Political Self-Identification, 1990-2008(.pdf), Trinity College, May 31, 2012
• ‘Nones’ on the rise: 1 in 5 American Adults Have No Religious Affiliation, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Oct. 9, 2012
• How the Faithful Voted: 2012 Preliminary Analysis, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Nov. 7, 2012
• Religion Big Factor for Americans Against Same-Sex Marriage, Frank Newport of Gallup, Dec. 5, 2012
• Impact of the Romney Campaign: Americans Learned Little about Mormon Faith, But Some Attitudes have Softened, Pew Form on Religion & Public Life, Dec. 14, 2012

2011

• The Tea Party, Religion, and Social Issues, The Pew Research Center, Feb. 23, 2011
• Religion, Youth, and Sexuality: A Sociological Study, University of Nottingham, March 2011
• Two-thirds of Britons not religious, The British Humanist Association, March 20, 2011
• Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues: A Comprehensive Portrait from Recent Research, Public Religion Research Institute, March 22, 2011
• Plurality of Americans believe capitalism at odds with Christian values, Public Religion Research Institute, April 20, 2011
• Sex and Secularism: What Happens When You Leave Religion, May 24, 2011
• How much does religion matter?, Ipsos MORI, July 6, 2011
• PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey Election 2012 coverage, Public Religion Research Institute & Religion Newswriters, July 25, 2011
• Twenty Years of Surveys Show Key Differences in the Faith of America’s Men and Women, The Barna Group, Aug. 1, 2011
• The religion paradox: If religion makes people happy, why are so many dropping out?, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Aug. 1, 2011
• Majority of Muslims do not link religion with terror, CNN & CNBC, Aug. 11, 2011
• Faith and Race in American Political Life, Public Religion Research Institute, Sept. 5, 2011
• What It Means to be an American: Attitudes in an Increasingly Diverse America Ten Years after 9/11, Public Religion Research Institute, Sept. 6, 2011
• Baylor Religion Survey, Wave III, Baylor University and Gallup, Sept. 20, 2011
• 2011 American Values Survey, Public Religion Research Institute, Nov. 8, 2011
• Some atheist scientists with children embrace religious traditions, Rice University and the University at Buffalo — SUNY, Dec. 1, 2011

2010

• In U.S., Religious Prejudice Stronger Against Muslims, Gallup, Jan. 21, 2010
• British Social Attitudes 2010, National Centre for Social Research (UK), April 2010
• Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences Survey 2010 (Religion and Evolution)(.pdf), Center for Public Policy at VCU, May 27, 2010
• Growing number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim, The Pew Research Center for People & the Press, Aug. 19, 2010
• Few Say Religion Shapes Immigration, Environment Views, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Sept. 17, 2010
• U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Sept. 28, 2010
• Religion and the Tea Party in the 2010 Elections, Public Religion Research Institute, Oct. 5, 2010
• American Values Survey 2010, Public Religion Research Institute, Oct. 13, 2010
• Millenials more spiritual than religious, LifeWay Christian Resources study reported in USA Today, Oct. 14, 2010
• Muslim Publics Divided on Hamas and Hezbollah, Pew Global Attitudes Project, Dec. 2, 2010

2009

• How loyal are churchgoers to their denomination?, Grey Matter Research, Jan. 12, 2009
• Faith and Good Governance: Towards Strengthening Global Coalitions(.pdf), Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Affairs at Georgetown University, January 2009
• Christianity no longer Americans’ default faith, The Barna Group, Jan. 12, 2009
• A Religious Portrait of African-Americans, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Jan. 30, 2009
• New research explores how technology drives generation gap, The Barna Group, Feb. 23, 2009
• Women the stronger sex – spiritually, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Feb. 26, 2009
• Muslim Americans exemplify diversity, potential, Gallup, March 2, 2009
• Why surveys of Muslim Americans differ, Pew Research Center Publications, March 6, 2009
• American Religious Identification Survey 2008, Trinity College, March 9, 2009
• Prayer in America, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, April 30, 2009
• Survey: Jehovah’s Witnesses pray the most nationally, Pew Research Center, May 7, 2009
• Religious Dimensions of the Torture Debate, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, May 7, 2009 updated
• Patriotic, respectful and homophobic: a portrait of British Muslims’ state of mind, Gallup and Coexist Foundation, May 8, 2009

2008

• Faith on the Hill: Religious affiliations of members of Congress, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Dec. 19, 2008
• Study: How the news media covered religion in the general election, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Nov. 20, 2008
• How people of faith voted in the 2008 presidential race, The Barna Group, Nov. 11, 2008
• Honesty/ethics in professions, Gallup, Nov. 7-9, 2008
• Many believe God’s intervention can revive dying patients, Archives of Surgery, Aug. 19, 2008
• Media coverage of religion in primary campaign rivaled that of race and gender combined, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, July 10, 2008
• Report: Two-thirds care for environment because it’s God’s creation, Sierra Club, June 28, 2008
• Religion in America: Non-dogmatic, diverse and politically relevant, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, June 23, 2008
• Pope Benedict’s image improves following U.S. visit, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, May 6, 2008
• Research describes use of technology in churches, The Barna Group, April 28, 2008
• American have net-positive view of U.S. Catholics, Gallup, April 15, 2008
• Trends in tithing and donating, The Barna Group, April 14, 2008
• Most Americans believe in sin, but differ widely on what it is, Grey Matter Research, March 11, 2008
• Do Muslims want democracy and theocracy?, Gallup, March 6, 2008
• Pew survey details religious affiliations and explores shifts in the U.S. religious landscape, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Feb. 25, 2008
• Born again voters no longer favor Republican candidates, The Barna Group, Feb. 4, 2008
• Sacraments Today: Belief and Practice Among U.S. Catholics, Georgetown University, February 2008
• Liberals and conservatives both want freedom of religious expression and practice
  Grey Matter Research, Jan. 10, 2008
• Growing number of Americans embracing charismatic Christianity, The Barna Group, Jan. 7, 2008

2007

• Science in America: Religious Belief and Public Attitudes, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, December 18, 2007
• Majority of adults believe literal truth of biblical stories , The Barna Group, Dec. 17, 2007
• Widespread disagreement over what is legal and not legal regarding religion, morality, and public life, Grey Matter Research, Dec. 6, 2007
• Barna finds four mega-themes in recent research: Cultural changes, matters of faith, The Barna Group, Dec. 3, 2007
• Study finds Christians a diverse bloc, identifies ‘five kinds’ of Christians, Nov. 5, 2007
• Scientists report connection between creativity and spirituality, Oct. 27, 2007
• Majorities see religion and democracy as compatible, Gallup, Oct. 3, 2007
• Young white evangelicals: Less Republican, still conservative, Sept. 28, 2007
• Public expresses mixed views of Islam, Mormonism; Benedict XVI viewed favorably, but faulted on religious outreach, Sept. 26, 2007
• Americans’ views mixed on basic freedoms, First Amendment Center, Sept. 12, 2007
• Religion not clear-cut positive in ’08 campaign, Sept. 6, 2007
• Psychiatrists least religious of all physicians, Sept. 5, 2007
• Doctors not spurred by religion to serve poor, July 31, 2007
• An abiding relationship: Republicans and religion, Gallup, June 14, 2007
• Muslim Americans: Middle class and mostly mainstream(.pdf), May 22, 2007
• Changing faiths: Latinos and the transformation of American religion, April 25, 2007
• Public generally satisfied with role of organized religion in America, Gallup, Jan. 30, 2007

2006

• Worship, web sites, conflict affect growth in congregations, Faith Communities Today, Dec. 11, 2006
• Top 10 myths about religious freedom(.doc), First Freedom, Dec. 21, 2006
• Religion and the 2006 elections, Pew Forum, Dec. 1, 2006
• Religion most important to blacks, women, and older Americans, Gallup, Nov. 29, 2006
• Ten-nation survey of Pentecostals, Pew Forum, Oct. 5, 2006
• Church leaders and laity not of one mind on churches and politics, Ellison Research, Sept. 5, 2006
• Many Americans uneasy with mix of religion and politics, Aug. 24, 2006
• Americans liberal and conservative on social issues:Abortion, stem-cell research, gay rights, evolution, Aug. 3, 2006
• Interfaith worship and cooperation among congregations has increased significantly, May 4, 2006

2005

• Fewer say Islam encourages violence, July 26, 2005
• Physicians are more religious than expected: More likely to be Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist or Muslim than overall population, June 22, 2005
• College students report high levels of spirituality and religiousness(.pdf), April 13, 2005

2004

• Right to worship among Americans’ most prized freedoms: Many less sure about church-state separation, Sept. 14, 2004
• Religion and the 2004 Election: A Pre-Election Analysis, Sept. 9, 2004
• Views of Islam sharply divided, Sept. 9, 2004

2003

• Religious beliefs underpin opposition to homosexuality, Nov. 18, 2003
• Religion and politics: Contention and consensus, July 24, 2003

2002

• Americans struggle with religion’s role at home and abroad, March 20, 2002

2001

• Post-9/11 attitudes: Religion more prominent, Muslim-Americans more accepted, Dec. 6, 2001
• Religious involvement largest influence on self-esteem of young adolescents, American Psychological Association, Aug. 21, 2001
• Faith-based funding backed, church-state doubts abound, April 10, 2001

2000

• Religion and politics: The ambivalent majority(.pdf), Sept. 20, 2000