Research
What social science shows about beliefs and behavior
- Southern Baptists Drop 1.1 Million Members in Three YearsBaptism tallies, though, are beginning to recover from 2020’s pandemic plunge.
- White Evangelicals Twice as Likely to Want to Ban AbortionAhead of a possible decision to rescind Roe v. Wade, Pew Research finds most Americans and most believers hold convictions with exceptions.
- Sunday School Paused During the Pandemic. Will It Come Back?A new report shows dramatic disruptions to religious education classes as fewer attend or volunteer.
- Americans’ Return to Church Has PlateauedTwo years in, more congregations are open without COVID-19 precautions, but Americans aren’t more likely to show up.
- Black Americans See the Biggest Shift Away from FaithThere are more unaffiliated African Americans, but they’re also more likely to return.
- What’s New in Evangelical Views on Abortion? The Age GapBetween 2016 and 2020, younger white evangelicals started to shift away from pro-life positions while older ones solidified their stances.
- 9 in 10 Evangelicals Don’t Think Sermons Are Too LongEven with recent divides in congregations, survey finds high levels of satisfaction among churchgoers.
- Church Leaders Are Still Waiting for Volunteers to Come BackGallup survey found involvement in religious service dropped again in 2021.
- How ‘Christian’ Overtook the ‘Protestant’ LabelWhen given the option, most younger believers go for a broader term.
- Why Bad Things Happen to People, According to 6,500 AmericansOn the problem of evil, Pew’s pandemic philosophy survey finds few blame God or doubt God’s omnipotence, goodness, or existence.

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