What Americans Really Think

Available data indicates that Americans are increasingly leery of Muslim Americans and that they do not view Muslim communities as part of mainstream society. And since 2015 there has been an alarming increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes across the country.

In order to better understand these problems, New America, in collaboration with the American Muslim Institution, has commissioned a national survey to explore the general public’s perceptions of Muslim Americans. The survey was conducted and completed in the lead up to the midterm elections in November 2018.

The survey makes it possible to discuss perceptions of Muslim Americans with a shared set of facts. Are myths and misinformation about Muslim Americans growing? Is there a difference between national perceptions of Muslim Americans and local perceptions? Where are myths and misinformation at their most pernicious and threatening?

Study Highlights

In the news

While most non-Muslims in the US are accepting of Muslim Americans, Republicans are far more likely to have potentially negative views about them, according to data released Thursday.

New America, a thinktank working with the American Muslim Institution, conducted 1,165 interviews in four metropolitan areas prior to the 6 November midterm elections.

—The Guardian, Nov 1, 2018

A large proportion of non-Muslim Americans think Islam is incompatible with American values, research by the New America foundation and the American Muslim Institution found.

According to the findings announced on Thursday, 56 percent of Americans believed Islam was compatible with American values and 42 percent said it was not. About 60 percent believed US Muslims were as patriotic as others, while 38 percent they were not.

—Al Jazeera, Nov 1, 2018

Other Media