U.S. Views of Islam Have Deteriorated in Past 25 Years
A Pew Research survey finds 51% of US adults now say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, up from 25% in March 2002. The partisan gap has widened too: 76% of Republicans vs 29% of Democrats hold that view. Source: Pew Research via Statista.
A new Pew Research Center survey shows that 51% of US adults now believe Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence, the highest share recorded in over two decades of polling and up from 25% in March 2002, six months after the September 11 attacks. The share has climbed unevenly: it stood at 38% in 2009 and 48% in 2019 before reaching its current level. The partisan divide has also widened sharply. In this year's poll, 76% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents said Islam encourages violence, compared with 29% of Democrats and Democratic leaners, a gap far larger than the 32% vs 23% split measured shortly after 9/11. Pew notes the figures come from representative surveys of up to 12,600 US adults, conducted by telephone in earlier years and later through its American Trends Panel, and reflect self-reported opinion rather than a measurement of Islam or actual acts of violence. The data was published as part of a broader Pew report marking 25 years since the September 11 attacks. Source: Pew Research Center via Statista.