01: A nationwide study of Protestant ministers shows that four out of ten of them are in serious disagreement with their denomination on politics or theology. The study, conducted by Ellison Research (press release, Dec. 11), surveyed 475 churches and ministers of almost every denomination, and found that close to 50 percent of senior pastors […]

01: A new survey finds that a majority of college students say religion and spirituality are important in their lives but they also show a sharp drop-off of religious involvements as they move through their college years. The survey, conducted by UCLA among 3,680 students at 46 colleges and universities, found that 73 percent say […]

01: More Americans than might be expected are impacted by the growing religious diversity in the U.S., although interfaith acceptance is not necessarily a byproduct of this reality, according to a recent survey. At the conference of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Princeton University sociologist Robert Wuthnow presented findings from his new Diversity […]

01: Religious belief and practice continues to be an important factor in accumulating wealth, according to a new study. The study, conducted by  Lisa Keister of Ohio State University, analyzes longitudinal data and finds that people who attend religious services regularly build more wealth than those who don’t. The study, published in the September issue ofSocial Forces, […]

01: Contrary to fears of a collapse in financial support relating to the sex abuse scandals, contributions to the church among American Catholics actually rose last year, the peak period of the crisis. The annual financial statement from the Vatican shows that Americans continue to lead other nations, such as Germany and Italy, in contributions to […]

01: A new nationwide survey of 2,002 adults, conducted by Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, shows that there has been a significant rise in negative perceptions about Islam. Fully 44 percent now believe that Islam is more likely than other religions “to encourage violence among its believers.” As […]

01: A recent Barna poll finds that four out of 10 adults discuss religious matters during a typical week. The 42 percent of Americans most likely to be discussing religious matters are women, baby boomers, upscale individuals, blacks, residents of the South, Republicans, conservatives and those attending churches of over 100 adults. Hispanics and Asians, […]

01: A University of Rochester study finds that daily newspapers show “significant gaps in providing readers with an understanding of religious beliefs and practices. The study, which examined 12 daily newspapers between Feb. 3 and March 2,  found that the  articles studied rarely explored the beliefs, values and practices of religion and instead described religion in political […]

01: The negative attitudes displayed by  some evangelical leaders toward  Islam since Sept. 11 seems to be shared by rank-and-file believers, according to a recent poll. The poll, sponsored by Beliefnet and the Ethics and Public Policy Center, found that 77 percent of evangelicals had an overall unfavorable view of Islam. Seventy percent also agreed that Islam is a […]

01: Few Americans say their religious beliefs are shaping their views on the conflict over Iraq, and most churchgoers have not heard a clear position taken from the pulpit on the war, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center and Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, found that just […]