American Muslim Poll

Introduction

Project MAPS: Muslims in American Public Square is presenting the results of the first ever systematic poll of American Muslims. The Poll covers the following four areas:

1) Demographics: gender, generation and ethnicity, U.S. born and immigrants, income and education levels, age and occupation.

2) Religious practices: relationship with the mosque, conversion to Islam, importance of religion in their life and interaction between the mosque and politics.

3) Opinion and behavior on social and political issues, party affiliation, voting in the presidential election, foreign policy and other domestic issues relating to religion and public life.

4) September 11^th and its aftermath: reaction, backlash, President Bush's handling of the crisis, war against terrorism and military action in Afghanistan

The project commissioned Zogby International to conduct the Poll through phone interviews of a nationwide representative sample of the American Muslim population during the months of November and December 2001. The questionnaire was developed with the help of Dr. Ihsan Bagby, Project MAPS team and staff of Zogby International.

Project MAPS seeks to document the role and contribution of the Muslim community in the American public life.  It is a three-year research project that began in 1999 with the support of The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Pew Charitable Trusts are supporting the MAPS project as part of a larger examination of seven major religious groups in the United States and their place in public life. The Project is housed at Georgetown University's Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.

The project team is also working to produce two edited volumes, Who's Who among American Muslims, and a directory of the Islamic Centers and Muslim Organizations. The project website, http://www.projectmaps.com/, has all information of the activities and development of the project.   

Methodology

Zogby International interviewed 1,781 persons, 18 years and old, nationwide who identify themselves as Muslim. From November 8 through November 19, 2001, phone interviews were conducted. The telephone list was created by matching the zip codes of 300 randomly selected Islamic centers, against their respective local telephone exchanges. Listings of common Muslim surnames were then identified from the local telephone exchanges and called. 

An additional sample of Afro-American Muslims was taken in-person December 7-9, 2001, at locations in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, GA, and Detroit, MI. The additional surveys were required to account for Afro- American Muslims with Anglo-American or non-Muslim surnames who were not called on in the telephone survey. The percentage of Afro-American respondents was weighted to reflect 20% of the American Muslim population.

The margin of error is 2.4%. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

Executive Summary

This survey demonstrates an eagerness of American Muslims to fully participate in American public life. This eagerness is tempered by the experience of discrimination since September 11and by negative portrayals of Muslims in the media. Below are the key results.

Demographics

• Three quarters of surveyed American Muslims (74%) are under 50.

• Nearly three fifths (58%) are college graduates.

• Eighty-five percent are Arab, African, Afro-American or South Asian.

• Half (50%) earn more than $50,000 annually.

• Seven in ten (69%) are married.

• Two fifths (39%) live in the East.

• Thirty six percent are born in the U.S.

• Three-fifths (60%) of those not born in the U.S. arrived here after 1980. Over one- third (36%) arrived during 1980-1989, while 24% arrived from 1990 to the present.

• The American Muslims surveyed were born in 80 countries, including the U.S

Voting Habits

• Two fifths of American Muslims (40%) are Democrats, 23% are Republican and 28% are independent.

• Eight in ten (79%) are registered to vote.

• Of those registered to vote, 85% say they are very likely to vote.

• Most Muslims not registered to vote say it is because they are not citizens (53%); 71% say they intend to vote.

• The majority (55%) of Afro-American Muslims voted for Gore, while the majority (54%) of Arabs and 49% of South Asians voted for Bush. A majority of Pakistanis (56%) also voted for Bush.

Political Opinions

• Over a third (36%) of American Muslims describe themselves as moderate in terms of their political ideology; over one-quarter (27%) say they are liberal to very liberal; one-fifth (21%) say they are conservative to very conservative.

• One-third of American Muslims have visited political websites (34%) or donated time or money to a political candidate (33%). Forty-five percent have changed their lifestyle in support of a cause, like the environment.

• Over two-fifths (43%) say it is very important to participate in politics, and 54% of African American Muslims agree on its importance.

• American Muslims favor big government solutions to issues like health care (93% favor universal health care) and poverty (93% support more generous government assistance to the poor).

• American Muslims are conservative on many social issues. They support the death penalty (68%); oppose gay marriages (71%); support making abortions more difficult to obtain (57%); oppose physician-assisted suicide (61%), and support banning the sale and display of pornography (65%).

• In addition, American Muslims support prayer (53%) and the display of the Ten Commandments (59%) in schools, and they support vouchers to send their children to private schools (68%).

Participation in Mainstream American Life

• American Muslims almost unanimously support donations to non-Muslim social service programs, like aid to the homeless (96%), efforts to become more involved in civic organizations (96%) and participation in the American political process (93%).

• Over three-fourths (77%) of American Muslims are active in organizations that help the poor, sick, elderly or homeless.

• Seven in ten (71%) are active at their Mosque or at other religious organizations.

• Over two thirds (69%) are active in school or youth programs.

• Nearly half (46%) are active in a professional organization.

• American Muslims are less active in public affairs organizations (33%), veteran's organizations (24%) and labor unions (17%).

• The majority (54%) do not consider America an immoral society.

• Seventy percent immigrant Muslims does not agree that America is an immoral society, though, U.S. born Muslims (49%) and African American Muslims (57%) are at odds with the morality of American society.

• Most American Muslims (68%) do not feel the portrayal of Muslims and Islam in the media is fair. Three in four (77%) do not consider the treatment of Muslims and Islam in Hollywood fair.

Religious Practice

• Two-thirds (66%) American Muslims offer some of the daily prayers (salah). Nearly half (47%) say they offer all five prayers daily. Slightly more than one-fifth (22%) say they make salah occasionally or go for only Eid prayer, while 13% accept they never pray.

• Half of American Muslims attended their mosque for Friday or daily prayer in the preceding week (49%).

• Younger American Muslims aged 18-24 (62%) and African American Muslims (69%) are more likely to be involved in activities at their Mosque than American Muslims as a whole (48%).

• Eight in ten say the role of Islam and the importance of spirituality in their daily lives is very important (79% each).

• The majority (57%) says mosques should express their views on social and political questions.

• One-fifth (19%) of American Muslims are convert to Islam. Reading about religion and influenced by a fellow Muslim are the main reasons for conversion (38% and 22%).

Impact of September 11th

• President Bush earns an overall 58% approval rating from American Muslims on his handling of the terrorist attacks on September 11. Also, two-thirds (66%) agree with the Bush administration's assertion that the war is being fought against terrorism, not Islam.

• Despite this approval, three-fifths (61%) feel the attacks could have been prevented, almost two thirds (64%) feel the military effort could lead to further terrorist attacks and over two-thirds (68%) say the military effort could lead to a more unstable Middle East.

• Half of the American Muslims (51%) support the military action against Afghanistan, while 43% oppose it.

• Over three-fourths (79%) say American foreign policy in the Middle East led to the attacks, while two thirds (67%) suggest that a change in America's policy in the Middle East is the best way to wage the war against terrorism.

• A majority of American Muslims (57%) says the attitude of Americans toward Muslims and Arabs since September 11 has been unfavorable.

• A majority (52%) of Muslims say individuals, businesses or religious organizations in their community have experienced discrimination since September 11. The most commonly kind of discrimination has been verbal abuse, cited by one-quarter (25%) of respondents.

Foreign Policy Issues

• A vast majority (84%) of American Muslims agrees that the US should support a Palestinian state.

• Seventy percent agree that the US should reduce its financial support to Israel.

• Three-fifth (61%) agrees, and one fifth (22%) disagrees, that the US should reduce its support of undemocratic regimes in the Muslim world.

• Almost two third (63%) agree with the Secretary of State's description that the Kashmir issue is the central issue between India and Pakistan. One-fifth (21%) has no opinion on the issue.

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