Public Religion Research Institute

Public Religion Research Institute
Name	Public Religion Research Institute
Formation	2009
Founder	Robert P. Jones
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Type	Nonprofit, research institute
Purpose	Public opinion research on religion, politics, and public life
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Robert P. Jones

Public Religion Research Institute is an American nonprofit research organization that conducts public opinion polling and analysis on religion, politics, and public life. Founded in 2009 by Robert P. Jones, the institute produces surveys, reports, and data tools used by journalists, scholars, policymakers, and faith leaders. PRRI's work has been cited in media outlets covering elections, demographic change, and social movements, and it partners with universities, think tanks, and foundations.

History

The institute was established amid debates following the 2008 United States presidential election that involved figures such as Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and discussions shaped by organizations like Pew Research Center, Gallup, Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, American Enterprise Institute, and Brookings Institution. Its founder, Robert P. Jones, previously engaged with projects associated with Public Religion Research Institute (founder link forbidden), faith-based coalitions, and academic settings including University of Virginia, Duke University, Harvard University, and Princeton University. Early reports compared religious demographics and political attitudes alongside analyses by scholars connected to The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, New Yorker, and NPR. PRRI expanded during the 2010s as debates around the 2012 United States presidential election, 2016 United States presidential election, and 2020 United States presidential election highlighted intersections of religion and partisanship, prompting collaboration with institutions such as Annenberg Public Policy Center, Sage Publications, and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Mission and Organization

PRRI states its mission to map how religious identity interacts with civic and political life across the United States, working with stakeholders including faith leaders, media outlets, philanthropic funders, and academic researchers. Leadership under Robert P. Jones situates the institute alongside peers like Pew Research Center, PRRI (forbidden), Association of Public Opinion Researchers, American Academy of Religion, and Social Science Research Council. Governance includes a board with members drawn from institutions such as Georgetown University, Yale University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and nonprofit organizations like The Aspen Institute and The Rockefeller Foundation. PRRI's funding relationships involve foundations and grantors similar to Ford Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Lilly Endowment, and corporate partners appearing in collaborative projects with media organizations such as The Guardian, The Washington Post, and Reuters.

Research and Methodology

PRRI employs survey research methods including nationally representative telephone and online panels, employing sampling techniques comparable to those used by Pew Research Center, NORC at the University of Chicago, YouGov, Ipsos, and Gallup. Methodological transparency includes questionnaires, weighting procedures, and demographic cross-tabulations referencing standards reflected in publications from American Association for Public Opinion Research and textbooks by scholars at Stanford University, Harvard University, and University of Michigan. Studies examine variables such as religious affiliation, practice, and belief across populations characterized by identifiers like African American, Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Americans, White Americans, LGBTQ communities, veterans associated with United States Department of Veterans Affairs, and immigrant groups linked to debates around Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)-era changes. PRRI combines survey data with demographic modeling approaches used in work by researchers at Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, and Rutgers University.

Major Publications and Surveys

PRRI is known for recurring projects such as the American Values Atlas, a multi-year mapping effort comparable in scope to data products from Pew Research Center and U.S. Census Bureau reports on religious composition. Major thematic surveys include studies on religion and politics during the 2012 United States presidential election, attitudes toward same-sex marriage paralleling analyses in cases like Obergefell v. Hodges, health-care opinion research during debates over Affordable Care Act, and national polling on race relations following events connected to Black Lives Matter protests. PRRI reports often intersect with scholarship published in journals associated with American Political Science Association, Sociological Review, and presses such as Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. PRRI also issues briefs on religious liberty controversies involving litigants and cases discussed in contexts like Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission.

Influence and Impact

PRRI's data has influenced reporting in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Politico, The Atlantic, and NPR, and informed testimony in legislative settings connected to members of United States Congress and state legislatures. Scholars at institutions such as Princeton University, Yale University, University of Southern California, and Michigan State University have used PRRI datasets in analyses of partisanship, secularization, and religious pluralism. Nonprofit coalitions, interfaith organizations like Interfaith Alliance, advocacy groups including Human Rights Campaign, and denominational bodies such as United Methodist Church, Roman Catholic Church, and Southern Baptist Convention have cited PRRI findings in policy debates and outreach strategies. PRRI's visualizations and interactive tools have paralleled data efforts from Pew Research Center and been used in academic courses at Georgetown University and Columbia University.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have raised concerns about sampling frames, question wording, and perceived partisan framing, echoing debates involving pollsters like YouGov, Quinnipiac University, and SurveyMonkey. Commentary from columnists at Fox News, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and National Review has scrutinized PRRI interpretations on culturally contentious topics such as abortion, LGBTQ rights, and religious liberty. Academic critiques published by researchers at University of Notre Dame, Emory University, and Boston College have questioned generalizability for subpopulation estimates and compared PRRI methodology to alternatives used by NORC and ICPSR. PRRI has responded by publishing methodological appendices and engaging with standards promoted by American Association for Public Opinion Research.

Category:Public opinion research organizations