Religion05.zip

Historical Context: This survey was conducted in President George W. Bush's second term, a period marked by strong influence from the Christian right and prominent debates on issues like same-sex marriage, stem cell research, and the appointment of conservative judges. The Terri Schiavo case (end-of-life issues) was also a major event earlier in 2005.

Key Topics Likely Covered: Based on Pew's work from that era, the survey almost certainly included questions on:

Religion in Politics: Support for religious leaders speaking out on political issues, and whether churches should express views on politics.

Social & Ethical Issues: Public opinion on hot-button topics like abortion, homosexuality, and the teaching of intelligent design in schools.

Supreme Court: Opinions on the nomination of justices and important cases, likely anticipating the replacement of Chief Justice Rehnquist (who passed away in September 2005).

Religious Affiliation & Belief: Measuring the religious composition of America (e.g., Evangelical Protestant, Mainline Protestant, Catholic, Unaffiliated).

Religious Practices: Attendance at religious services, frequency of prayer, and the importance of religion in one's life.

Data Usage: This dataset is primarily used for:

Academic Research: Studying trends in religion, political behavior, and sociology.

Benchmarking: Comparing religious and political attitudes from 2005 to the present day to measure how American society has changed.

Policy Analysis: Understanding the historical roots of current political divides on moral and ethical issues.

How to Find It: The raw data and summary reports from this survey are archived and publicly available on the Pew Research Center's website. You can search for "July 2005 Religion and Public Life Survey" in their repository. It is often categorized under the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's past work (which was fully integrated into the main Pew Research Center in later years).

Note on the Names: "Pew Research Center for the People & the Press" was the former name of what is now simply the "Pew Research Center." The "Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life" was a dedicated project that operated from 2001 to 2010 before its work was absorbed into the larger Center.