Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Name	Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Established	2001
Founder	Pew Charitable Trusts
Type	Research center
Location	Washington, D.C.
Topics	Religion, public life, demographics

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life is a research initiative established to study relations among religion, public affairs, and social trends. Operating from Washington, D.C., it has produced demographic studies, surveys, and analyses that intersect with topics involving United States Presidential Election, United Nations, United States Congress, Supreme Court of the United States, and international institutions. The Forum has engaged with scholars, policymakers, and media organizations including The New York Times, BBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, and CNN.

History

The initiative was launched in 2001 by Pew Charitable Trusts during an era shaped by events such as the September 11 attacks, the subsequent foreign policy debates involving War on Terror, and global discussions at venues like the World Economic Forum. Early work drew on collaborations with academics from Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, Yale University, and Columbia University. Its timeline intersects with major developments including the 2004 United States presidential election, the expansion of the European Union, and shifts documented by organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank.

Mission and Activities

The Forum's stated mission encompasses empirical study of religious affiliation and public life across contexts such as the United States, China, India, Russia, Brazil, and Nigeria. Activities have included national surveys during cycles like the 2008 United States presidential election and comparative studies referencing institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, International Monetary Fund, and Organization of American States. It has convened conferences with participants from Georgetown University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Brookings Institution, and think tanks including Council on Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Research and Publications

The Forum produced authoritative reports on topics ranging from religious demography to public opinion on issues featured before the Supreme Court of the United States and legislatures such as the United States Congress and parliaments in United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Publications have cited census-like analyses comparable to work by the United States Census Bureau, studies in collaboration with centers at Oxford University, Cambridge University, and datasets akin to those of the General Social Survey. Major reports addressed trends among Evangelical Protestants, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and religiously unaffiliated populations, engaging scholarly literature from journals like American Sociological Review, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, and PLOS ONE.

Public Policy and Advocacy

Though primarily research-oriented rather than an advocacy organization, the Forum's analyses have informed debates in venues such as hearings of the United States Congress, testimony before panels connected to the United Nations Human Rights Council, and policy discussions at the European Parliament. Reports influenced legal and policy debates related to cases argued at the Supreme Court of the United States and shaped briefings used by staffers from offices of figures such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and members of bipartisan coalitions. The Forum’s work has been cited in policymaking contexts involving civil liberties discussions linked to organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, and International Commission of Jurists.

Funding and Organization

Funded principally by Pew Charitable Trusts, the initiative forms part of a portfolio that also supports projects at institutions such as Annenberg Public Policy Center, Johns Hopkins University, Kaiser Family Foundation, and cultural grants to entities like the Smithsonian Institution and Library of Congress. The Forum employed researchers with backgrounds from Princeton Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School, and academic appointments at Rutgers University, University of Michigan, and Northwestern University. Governance and advisory input have come from scholars and public figures associated with American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Council on Foreign Relations, and national academies including the National Academy of Sciences.

Impact and Reception

The Forum’s publications have been widely cited across media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, and academic works published by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. Reception among scholars in fields represented by Sociological Research Association and religious studies departments at Duke University and Princeton University has been generally positive for methodological transparency, while critiques have come from commentators connected to Heritage Foundation, Cato Institute, and faith-based organizations such as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and various denominational councils. Its findings have influenced civic discussions around pluralism in contexts from the European Union to multifaith cities like New York City and London.

Category:Think tanks in Washington, D.C.