PublicDataSet_ReligiousRestrictions_2007to2016.zip

What It Measures:

Government Restrictions Index (GRI): Tracks laws, policies, and actions by officials that restrict religious freedom (e.g., bans on faiths, favoritism of official religions, harassment of religious groups).

Social Hostilities Index (SHI): Measures acts of religious hostility by private individuals, organizations, or groups in society (e.g., violence, terrorism, mob violence, harassment over religious attire, and communal violence between religious groups).

Methodology: Researchers analyze over a dozen sources for each country, including reports from the U.S. State Department, the United Nations, the Council of the European Union, and leading non-governmental organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Key Output: The primary output is an annual report ranking countries into tiers (e.g., "very high," "high," "moderate," "low") for both restrictions and hostilities. This allows for easy comparison between countries and tracking changes over time.

Usage: This data is a critical resource for:

Policymakers and Diplomats crafting foreign policy and aid.

Researchers and Academics studying human rights, international law, and conflict studies.

NGOs and Advocacy Groups (e.g., Open Doors, International Christian Concern) to support their work and reports.

Journalists reporting on global religious persecution.

Access: The full reports, interactive maps, data tables, and methodology are available on the Pew Research Center's website. Searching for "Global Restrictions on Religion" will lead to the latest report and all archived data. The data is typically released 1-2 years after the period studied due to the intensive codification process.