Report Surveys Levels of Governmental and Social Hostility Toward Religion Worldwide

The Pew Research Center yesterday issued its latest in a series of reports on "the extent to which governments and societies around the world impinge on religious beliefs and practices." Titled Religious Hostilities Reach Six-Year High, the 90-page report analyzes both social hostility toward religion and government restrictions on religion. The Report found:

The share of countries with a high or very high level of social hostilities involving religion reached a six-year peak in 2012.... A third (33%) of the 198 countries and territories included in the study had high religious hostilities in 2012,.... The share of countries with a high or very high level of government restrictions on religion stayed roughly the same in the latest year studied. About three-in-ten countries in the world (29%) had a high or very high level of government restrictions in 2012....