Tracking religious freedom violations with the Violent Incidents Database

A methodological approach and comparative analysis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59484/MOII5201

Keywords:

Religious freedom measurement, Violent Incidents Database (VID), data collection and verification, comparative religious freedom datasets, policy and advocacy applications

Abstract

Measuring and comparing religious freedom across countries and over time requires reliable and valid data sources. Existing religious freedom datasets are either based on the coding of qualitative data (such as the Religion and State Project or the Pew Research Center), on expert opinions (V-Dem or the World Watch List) or on surveys (Anti-Defamation League). Each of these approaches has its strengths and limitations. In this study, we present the Violent Incidents Database (VID), a complementary tool designed to collect, record, and analyze violent incidents related to violations of religious freedom based on media reports and
other public sources.

Author Biographies

Dennis P. Petri

Dr Dennis P. Petri, Faculty of Social Sciences, Latin American University of Science and Technology, Costa
Rica and International Director, International Institute for Religious Freedom.

Kyle J. Wisdom

Dr Kyle J. Wisdom, International Institute for Religious Freedom.

John Bainbridge

John Bainbridge is a data analyst for the International Institute for religious Freedom.

IHRF Vol. 18/2 2025 Cover

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Published

2026-01-30

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 2 (2025): Religious freedom and measures of tolerance

Section

Article Submissions

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)