Browse 114 concepts used in the study of religion, review how survey researchers measured them in the past, and quickly compare the results of more than 7,600 survey questions.
The archive is a collection of surveys, polls, and other data submitted by the foremost scholars and research centers in the world. Review and analyze data online, or download free of charge.
Examine the religious composition, religious freedoms, demographics, constitutional clauses, survey findings and multiple social and political measures for 250 nations.
View maps of the United States and individual states for hundreds of variables, including congregational membership, census data, crime statistics and many others.
Generate congregational membership reports for any county, state and urban area in the United States using data collected by the Religious Congregations & Membership Study.
The profiles chart schisms and mergers, document membership trends, offer basic descriptions, and link to additional resources for more than 400 past and present American religious groups.
Browse dozens of topics from a major national survey of religious congregations. See how the responses vary by the size, religious family and region of the congregation.
Browse dozens of topics covered by major national surveys. See how the responses vary by demographic categories and, when available, how they change over time.
View maps of the United States and individual states for hundreds of variables, including congregational membership, census data, crime statistics and many others.
"The vast majority of people in many sub-Saharan African nations are deeply committed to the practices and major tenets of one or the other of the world's two largest religions, Christianity and Islam. Large majorities say they belong to one of these faiths, and, in sharp contrast with Europe and the United States, very few people are religiously unaffiliated. Despite the dominance of Christianity and Islam, traditional African religious beliefs and practices have not disappeared. Rather, they coexist with Islam and Christianity. Whether or not this entails some theological tension, it is a reality in people's lives: Large numbers of Africans actively participate in Christianity or Islam yet also believe in witchcraft, evil spirits, sacrifices to ancestors, traditional religious healers, reincarnation and other elements of traditional African religions."
Explore "key findings from more than 25,000 face-to-face interviews conducted on behalf of the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life in more than 60 languages or dialects in 19 sub-Saharan African nations from December 2008 to April 2009. [...] The countries were selected to span this vast geographical region and to reflect different colonial histories, linguistic backgrounds and religious compositions. In total, the countries surveyed contain three-quarters of the total population of sub-Saharan Africa." (Full Report)
"The report was funded by generous grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John Templeton Foundation as part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, which aims to increase people's knowledge of religion around the world" (Full Report).
Collection Procedures
Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with adults who were 18-years-old or older.
Sampling Procedures
Botswana Sample design: Stratified random sample of all nine regions (Chobe, in the northern region, is excluded because it is remote and sparsely populated) and all five town councils proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Tswana, English Fieldwork dates: Dec. 14, 2008 - Jan. 22, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Cameroon Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 10 provinces, excluding some parts of the Maroua area of the Extreme Nord province due to inaccessibility and poor infrastructure, proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: French, English, Fulfulde Fieldwork dates: Dec. 11, 2008 - Dec. 24, 2008 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Chad Sample design: Stratified random sample of accessible areas proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: French, Chadian Arabic, Gambaye Fieldwork dates: Dec. 29, 2008 - Jan. 9, 2009 Representative: Representative of roughly 70 percent of adult population. The desert region of BorkouEnnedi-Tibesti is sparsely populated and unsafe for interviewers. Mandoul, MoyenChari, Ouaddai, Salamat and Wadi Fira were excluded due to instability. Because of areas excluded, the percentage urban is higher than it would be if the entire country had been sampled.
Democratic Republic of the Congo Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 10 provinces plus Kinshasa, excluding inaccessible and unstable areas and some conflict areas along border with Rwanda. Urban settlements in the provinces were slightly oversampled. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Lingala, Kiswahili, French, Tshiluba, Kikongo Fieldwork dates: Feb. 7, 2009 - April 10, 2009 Representative: Disproportionally urban. Representative of roughly 80 percent of adult population.
Djibouti Sample design: Stratified random sample of all six districts proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: French, Somali, Afar, Arabic Fieldwork dates: Jan. 30, 2009 - Feb. 6, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Ethiopia Sample design: Stratified random sample of all nine ethnically based states and two self-governing administrative areas proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Amarigna, Oromigna, English Fieldwork dates: Jan. 22, 2009 - Feb. 1, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Ghana Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 10 regions proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Akan, English, Dagbani, Ewe, Dagaare, Ga, Hausa, Frafra, Talensi, Guruni, Kusaal Fieldwork dates: Jan. 17, 2009 - Jan. 30, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population with a Muslim oversample
Guinea Bissau Sample design: Stratified random sample of all nine geo-political regions proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Portuguese Fieldwork dates: Jan. 22, 2009 - Feb. 1, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Kenya Sample design: Stratified random sample of all seven provinces and the Nairobi area proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Kiswahili, English Fieldwork dates: Dec. 18, 2008 - Dec. 27, 2008 Representative: Nationally representative adult population with a Muslim oversample
Liberia Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 15 counties proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: English, Liberian Pidgin English Fieldwork dates: Jan. 21, 2009 - Jan. 31, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Mali Sample design: Stratified random sample of all eight regions and Bamako proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Bambara, French Fieldwork dates: Jan. 14, 2009 - Jan. 24, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Mozambique Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 10 provinces and Maputo City, proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Portuguese, Makua, Changana, Sena, Ndau Fieldwork dates: March 5, 2009 - March 30, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Nigeria Sample design: Stratified random sample of all seven geo-political regions proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: English, Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin, Igbo Fieldwork dates: Feb. 15, 2009 - Feb. 25, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Rwanda Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 12 districts proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Kinyarwanda, French, English Fieldwork dates: Jan. 21, 2009 - Jan. 31, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Senegal Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 11 regions proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Wolof, French Fieldwork dates: Jan. 14, 2009 - Jan. 24, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
South Africa Sample design: Stratified random sample of all nine provinces proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Zulu, English, Xhosa, Sesotho (South Sotho), Sepedi (North Sotho), Tswana, Afrikaans, Tsonga, Venda, Ndebele, Swati Fieldwork dates: Dec. 12, 2008 - Dec. 26, 2008 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
Tanzania Sample design: Stratified random sample of all 21 regions of mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar (Unguja and Pemba), proportional to population size and urban/rural population. Mode: Face-to-face adults 18+ Languages: Kiswahili, English Fieldwork dates: Dec. 15, 2008 - Jan. 6, 2009 Representative: Nationally representative adult population
