WASHINGTON, 22 March — Americans are trusting of Muslims in the United States, but they continue to be worried about anti-American attitudes in Islamic countries worldwide, according to a new poll released yesterday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
The report found that 67 percent of respondents said that the United States is a “Christian nation.” But more Americans — 75 percent — also said that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” not just Christianity.
Regardless of this view on religious pluralism, a mere five percent of Americans say they know “a great deal” about Islam.
Americans polled said their concern over violence focused on Islam. “Those who think that some religions are more violent than others are more likely to see widespread anti-American sentiments among Muslims,” the survey said.
And those Americans who most likely to fear Islam and reject its claim to legitimacy are white, conservative evangelicals, the survey found.
The poll also said that Americans attitude toward Muslims in the United States has grown more positive, probably because of President Bush’s urgings not to blame Islam for terrorism.
“The public is trying to not think of this as a clash of civilizations,” between Christian West and Islam,” said Andrew Kohut, who conducted the poll as director of the Pew Research Center.
But, he said, “they are still struggling with the link between Islam and violence.”
Thirty-eight percent of Americans have a favorable view of Islam, while 33 percent have an unfavorable view. The view of “Muslims” in the United States is more favorable than “Islam” worldwide.
Muslim-Americans are rated favorably by 54 percent of the public, down slightly from 59 percent in mid-November, but still significantly higher than this time last year (45 percent). Fewer than a quarter (22 percent) express an unfavorable opinion of Muslim-Americans, up slightly from 17 percent four months ago.
There is also a distinction between ratings of Muslims as individuals and perceptions of Islam generally. When asked for its opinion of Islam, the public is divided, with 38 percent saying they have a favorable view of the religion, and 33 percent unfavorable.
While predominantly favorable, public views of Muslims continue to lag behind most other religious groups. Protestants, Catholics and Jews are rated favorable by roughly three-quarters of the public, with only around one-in-ten expressing unfavorable opinions of these groups.
A majority of those under age 30 express a favorable view of Muslim-Americans, Muslims, and Islam alike (57 percent, 57 percent and 51 percent respectively). Older Americans generally have a favorable opinion of Muslim-Americans; however, they express more skepticism toward Muslims and Islam, the survey noted.
College-educated Americans also express more favorable views of Muslims and Islam than those who did not attend college. Education has a particularly strong effect on perceptions of the Islamic religion. While about half (52 percent) of college graduates have a favorable view of Islam, just 29 percent of those who never attended college agree.
