The Pew Research Center’s
Forum on Religion & Public Life, launched in 2001, seeks to promote a
deeper understanding of issues at the intersection of religion and public
affairs.
The Pew Forum conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social
science research on important aspects of religion and public life in the U.S.
and around the world. It also provides a neutral venue for discussions of
timely issues through roundtables and briefings.
Religion and American Society
The Pew Forum examines a wide range of issues concerning religion and
American society, from the shifting religious composition of the U.S. to the
influence of religion on politics. The Pew Forum also covers a range of policy issues
that often have a religious component – from abortion and gay marriage to stem
cell research and church-state controversies.
Religion and World Affairs
The Pew Forum explores the role religion plays in world affairs through a
range of research products, from large public opinion surveys on religion and
society to in-depth demographic analyses of the current distribution and future
growth trajectory of major religious groups. The Pew Forum also produces
research that documents the extent of government and social restrictions on
religion around the world.
The
Pew Forum is directed by Luis Lugo and is part of the Pew Research
Center, a
Washington-based nonpartisan, nonadvocacy organization. It does not take
positions on any of the issues it covers or on policy debates.
Pew
Research Center
The
Pew Forum is one of seven projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan
"fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and
trends shaping America
and the world. The Pew
Research Center
does this by conducting public opinion polling and social science research; by
analyzing news coverage; and by holding forums and briefings. It does not take
positions on policy issues.
In
addition to the Pew Forum, the Pew Research Center’s other projects are: Pew
Research Center for the People & the Press; Pew Internet & American
Life Project; Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism; Pew
Hispanic Center; Pew Global Attitudes Project; and Pew Social & Demographic
Trends.
The Pew Research Center
is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation that operates under Section 501(c)(3) of
the Internal Revenue Service code. It was established in 2004 as a subsidiary
of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a
Philadelphia-based public charity that is driven by the power of knowledge to
solve today's most challenging problems. The Pew Charitable Trusts applies a
rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and
stimulate civic life.