full Gallup report on US attitudes towards Muslims
[full q & a and more at orig, though you’ll either have to pay or sit
through an ad: http://poll.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=24073]
August 10, 2006
Anti-Muslim Sentiments Fairly Commonplace Four in ten Americans admit feeling prejudice against Muslims
by Lydia Saad GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ — Substantial minorities of Americans admit to having
negative feelings or prejudices against people of the Muslim faith,
and favor using heightened security measures with Muslims as a way to
help prevent terrorism. Personally knowing someone who is Muslim –
which 41% of Americans say they do — corresponds with more favorable
attitudes on these questions. These are they key findings of a July
28-30, 2006 USA Today/Gallup Poll focusing on U.S. attitudes toward
Muslims living in the United States.
Americans’ personal discomfort with Muslims is reflected in survey
questions dealing with their reaction to being near Muslims in
different situations. Nearly one quarter of Americans, 22%, say they
would not like to have a Muslim as a neighbor. Slightly fewer, 18%,
say they would feel nervous if they noticed a Muslim woman flying on
the same airplane as themselves, while significantly more — 31% –
say they would feel nervous if they noticed a Muslim man on their
flight.
Americans tend to disagree with the notion that Muslims living in the
United States are sympathetic to al-Qaeda; still, fewer than half
believe U.S. Muslims are loyal to the United States.
Muslims are widely perceived to be committed to their religious
beliefs, but this is not necessarily a positive assessment. While 47%
believe Muslims are respectful of other religions, nearly as many
(40%) disagree. Also, 44% say Muslims are too extreme in their
religious beliefs and a slight majority (52%) say Muslims are not
respectful of women.
All of this adds up to a significant number of Americans being
willing to admit they harbor at least some feelings of prejudice
against Muslims. Nearly four in ten Americans (39%) say they do feel
some prejudice while 59% say they don’t.
The array of concerns about Muslims’ loyalty to the United States and
religious extremism may also help to explain why about 4 in 10
Americans favor more rigorous security measures for Muslims than
those used for other U.S. citizens. This includes requiring Muslims
– including those who are U.S. citizens — to carry a special ID,
and requiring them to undergo special, more intensive, security
checks before boarding airplanes in the United States.
Contact Bridges Fear
Considerable differences are seen in attitudes about Muslims
according to whether one is personally acquainted with a Muslim. For
instance, only 10% of those who say they personally know someone who
is Muslim say they would not want a Muslim as a neighbor. This
compares with 31% of those who are not acquainted with a Muslim –
representing a 21-point gap in views between the two groups. Other
large gaps are seen in attitudes toward special security measures
targeted at Muslims, and fear of sharing an airplane flight with
Muslim men.
People under the age of 65 are much more likely than those 65 and
older to report that they are acquainted with a Muslim.
As a result, seniors tend to be more negative in their attitudes
about Muslims and more supportive of tighter security restrictions on
them. Those aged 18 to 34 years tend to be the most pro-Muslim in
their attitudes. However, difference in personal contact with Muslims
does not explain these age differences entirely. Some strong
generational differences exist — particularly between those aged 18
to 34 years and those 65 and older — that go beyond whether or not
one knows a Muslim.
In addition to age, politics is also a factor in attitudes toward
Muslims, with Republicans ascribing more negative political and
religious qualities to Muslims, and being more opposed to having
Muslim as neighbors than are Democrats and independents.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly
selected national sample of 1,007 adults, aged 18 and older,
conducted July 28-30, 2006. For results based on this sample, one can
say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to
sampling and other random effects is ±3 percentage points. In
addition to sampling error, question wording and practical
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into
the findings of public opinion polls.
For results based on the 507 national adults in the Form A half-
sample and 500 national adults in the Form B sample, the maximum
margins of sampling error are ±5 percentage points.