Major Special Topics Surveys
Report | Catholic Attitudes on Gay and Lesbian Issues: A Comprehensive Portrait from Recent Research
[03.22.2011]Catholics are more supportive of legal recognitions of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and Americans overall. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship. When same-sex marriage is defined explicitly as a civil marriage, support is… more
Report | 20 Years of Polling on Gay & Lesbian Issues from Pew
[08.20.2010]With Same-Sex Marriage Debate at Full Boil, New PRRI Report Evaluates Shifts in Attitudes on Homosexuality In the wake of the recent federal court ruling on same-sex marriage, a new report released today by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) contains new analysis and assessment of more than two decades of polling on attitudes about lesbian and gay people and issues. The PRRI report reviews the entire history of polling on… more
Survey | Religion, Proposition 8, and Same-Sex Marriage in California
[07.21.2010]Only One-in-Five Californians Say Proposition 8 ‘Good Thing’, Majority Now Support Same-Sex Marriage As the state of California awaits U.S. District Court Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker’s decision on whether Proposition 8 violates the U.S. Constitution, a new survey released today by Public Religion Research Institute examines the role religion plays in structuring attitudes toward same-sex marriage and a range of other issues related to rights for gay and lesbian… more
Survey | Religion, Values, and Immigration Reform: A Look at the States
[04.15.2010]New Poll, Focus Groups: Strong Support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in Ohio, Arkansas Across Religious Lines State Poll Results Residents of Ohio and Arkansas are more likely than Americans nationwide to report being in fair or poor shape economically and to have a negative view of the contributions of immigrants. Ohio and Arkansas residents are also more likely than the general public to believe illegal immigrants take jobs that… more
Survey | Religion, Values, and Immigration Reform
[03.23.2010]A new national survey by Public Religion Research Institute finds broad support across religious groups for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform and strong approval for clergy speaking out on the issue. It also shows that Americans in different religious traditions share to a remarkable extent strong support for a set of values that should guide approaches to immigration reform. Among the top findings: Perceptions of the Immigration System Nearly half… more
Report | Immigration Attitudes: Taking Another Look at the Data
[01.04.2010]A new survey released by the Center for Immigration Studies and conducted by Zogby International has received considerable attention since its release on December 29, 2009. However, the poll has serious methodological shortcomings, and results should be viewed with considerable caution. Methodology Most significantly, the Zogby poll is not based on a scientific random sample of Americans but rather on an opt-in online panel survey. Even though Zogby attempts to balance… more
Survey | Conservative & Progressive Religious Activists Surveys
[09.15.2009]First Ever Polls Comparing Conservative and Progressive Religious Activists Show Divergent Identities and Strategies, Common Commitment to Political Involvement The 2009 Religious Activist Surveys were conducted by the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in partnership with Public Religion Research. These first ever comparative surveys of conservative and progressive religious activists find them to be faithful, engaged, and divergent. Key findings: Religion. Conservative and progressive religious activists are… more
Survey | Clergy Voices Survey (Part 2)
[05.19.2009]Views on Theology and Gay and Lesbian Issues On a range of policy issues, Mainline Protestant clergy are generally more supportive of LGBT rights than the general population, and mostly in line with Mainline Protestants overall. Two-thirds of Mainline clergy support hate crimes legislation (67%) and workplace protections for gay and lesbian people (66%), and a majority (55%) supports adoption rights. Same-sex marriage is the only major LGBT public policy… more
Survey | Clergy Voices Survey (Part 1)
[03.06.2009]New Findings from the 2008 Mainline Protestant Clergy Voices Survey Mainline Protestants are arguably the most-neglected of the major religious groups in the American religious landscape. But Mainline Protestants make up 18% of all Americans and nearly a quarter of all voters, and they are an important swing constituency in many states. Mainline Clergy are much more likely to identify as liberal and Democratic than conservative or Republican. Almost half… more
Report | Religious Voters and California’s Proposition 8
[12.23.2008]In the November 2008 election, California voters narrowly supported Proposition 8 (52% to 48%), which repealed an existing California law allowing marriage between same-sex couples by amending the state constitution to restrict marriage to heterosexual couples. The role of religion in that vote has been the subject of much interest and debate, but solid data on religion has been scattered. This memo gathers religious data from both the National Election… more