Pride and Prejudice
Our annual poll returns for a third year to measure the attitudes and policy preferences that impact the lives of American Muslims across faith communities, including results from Catholics, Protestants, Jews, white Evangelicals, and the non-affiliated. The results of this poll could not come at a more critical time, as one year into the Trump presidency, Americans have witnessed three iterations of a so-called “Muslim ban,” had their president retweet three inflammatory videos portraying Muslims as monsters, and heard him say a rally involving Nazis and Confederate symbols where one counter-protester was killed had “good people.” Americans of all backgrounds also crowded airports to protest a travel ban on people from a number of Muslim-majority nations. The Women’s March, co-organized by four women, including Linda Sarsour, a visibly Muslim woman, became the largest demonstration ever in America. And hijab-wearing Olympic fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad was immortalized with a Barbie doll.
American Muslim Poll 2018 showed most Americans overwhelmingly support civil rights for Muslims. But Islamophobia does exist in the margins of our society—and it isn’t just a problem for Americans who are Muslim. Watch the above video to learn more.
In this report, we set out to measure the level of public anti-Muslim sentiment in its most impactful manifestations and, in collaboration with Georgetown’s The Bridge Initiative, developed the first-ever annual Islamophobia Index (II). The report measures the Islamophobia Index among American Muslims, too, as well as the degree to which Muslims have accepted ideas of collective blame, shame, and alienation. This analysis doesn’t stop at shame—it also measures pride, joy, and confidence in one’s faith identity across communities and how these sentiments are linked to civic engagement and national identity.
Finally, the poll explores the views of Muslim women. What, in reality, are American Muslim women’s biggest challenges and fears? How do they feel about their faith and community? If they wear hijab, what are their reasons for doing so?
Do you need reliable, representative, quantitative data on American Muslims? ISPU can help by providing space for purchase on our annual poll at a fraction of the cost of conducting this type of survey yourself. Contact info@ispu.org for more information.
Report & Key Findings
American Muslim Poll 2018: Full Report
April 30, 2018,ISPU’s annual poll returns for a third year to measure the attitudes and policy preferences that impact the lives of American Muslims across faith communities, including results from Catholics, Protestants, Jews, white Evangelicals, and the non-affiliated. In American Muslim Poll 2018: Pride and Prejudice, we...
American Muslim Poll 2018: Key Findings
April 30, 2018,This is a summary of the key findings of ISPU’s annual poll, which returns for a third year to measure the attitudes and policy preferences that impact the lives of American Muslims across faith communities, including results from Catholics, Protestants, Jews, white Evangelicals, and the...
Experience the Results Live
Supplementary Documents
.
Infographics
Dive into the Data
Click here to download all 34 graphs, figures, and tables from our 2018 survey.
Muslim satisfaction with the way things are going in the country is down, but voter registration is up.
Muslims are among the most likely to reject violence.
Tolerance for authoritarianism varies among Americans of different faiths.
Most Americans support Muslim civil rights.
Anti-Muslim sentiment is linked to approval of violence, authoritarianism, and discriminatory policies.
Muslims experience the most religious discrimination.
Piety and identity are the top reasons given for wearing hijab.
Internalized Islamophobia causes some Muslims to feel shame.
Most Muslims identify strongly with America and express pride and happiness in their faith identity.
In the News
In the News
Meet the Research Team
Dalia Mogahed
Report Co-Author
Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Youssef Chouhoud
Data Analyst & Report Co-Author
PhD Candidate and Provost’s Fellow at University of Southern California’s Political Science and International Relations Program
Sarrah Buageila
Project Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Katherine Coplen
Senior Communications Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Katie Grimes
Communication & Creative Media Specialist, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Meet the Study Advisors
Khaled Beydoun
JD, UCLA School of Law
Associate Professor of Law, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Senior Affiliated Faculty, University of California-Berkeley Islamophobia Research & Documentation Project
Emile Bruneau
PhD, Neuroscience, University of Michigan
Research Associate and Lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Karam Dana
PhD, Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington
Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
David Dutwin
Executive Vice President and Chief Methodologist, SSRS
2016 Conference Chair, AAPOR Executive Council
Research Scholar, Institute for Jewish and Community Research
John Esposito
PhD, Temple University
Professor of Religion, International Affairs, and Islamic Studies, Georgetown University
Founding Director, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service
Rachel M. Gillum
PhD, Political Science, Stanford University
Visiting Scholar, Stanford University
Fellow, Association for Analytic Learning about Islam and Muslim Societies
Amaney Jamal
PhD, Political Science, University of Michigan
Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University
Director, Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice
Director, Workshop on Arab Political Development
President, Association of Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS)
Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad
MS, MRP, MEd
Founder and President, Muslim Wellness Foundation
Interfaith Fellow for Spirituality, Wellness & Social Justice, University of Pennsylvania
PsyD candidate, Clinical Psychology, Chestnut Hill College
Meet the Research Team
Dalia Mogahed
Report Co-Author
Director of Research, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Youssef Chouhoud
Data Analyst & Report Co-Author
PhD Candidate and Provost’s Fellow at University of Southern California’s Political Science and International Relations Program
Sarrah Buageila
Project Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Katherine Coplen
Senior Communications Manager, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Katie Grimes
Communication & Creative Media Specialist, Institute for Social Policy and Understanding
Meet the Study Advisors
Khaled Beydoun
JD, UCLA School of Law
Associate Professor of Law, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
Senior Affiliated Faculty, University of California-Berkeley Islamophobia Research & Documentation Project
Emile Bruneau
PhD, Neuroscience, University of Michigan
Research Associate and Lecturer, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Karam Dana
PhD, Interdisciplinary Near and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Washington
Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences
David Dutwin
Executive Vice President and Chief Methodologist, SSRS
2016 Conference Chair, AAPOR Executive Council
Research Scholar, Institute for Jewish and Community Research
John Esposito
PhD, Temple University
Professor of Religion, International Affairs, and Islamic Studies, Georgetown University
Founding Director, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service
Rachel M. Gillum
PhD, Political Science, Stanford University
Visiting Scholar, Stanford University
Fellow, Association for Analytic Learning about Islam and Muslim Societies
Amaney Jamal
PhD, Political Science, University of Michigan
Edwards S. Sanford Professor of Politics, Princeton University
Director, Mamdouha S. Bobst Center for Peace and Justice
Director, Workshop on Arab Political Development
President, Association of Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS)
Kameelah Mu’Min Rashad
MS, MRP, MEd
Founder and President, Muslim Wellness Foundation
Interfaith Fellow for Spirituality, Wellness & Social Justice, University of Pennsylvania
PsyD candidate, Clinical Psychology, Chestnut Hill College
Related Projects
American Muslim Poll 2017: Key Findings
March 21, 2017,This is a summary of the key findings of ISPU’s American Muslim Poll 2017: Muslims at the Crossroads, a poll which offers a timely and groundbreaking look into the American Muslim community. From early on in a deeply divisive presidential election cycle until today, American...
American Muslim Poll 2017: Full Report
March 21, 2017,American Muslim Poll 2017: Muslims at the Crossroads offers a timely and groundbreaking look into the American Muslim community. From early on in a deeply divisive presidential election cycle until today, American Muslims have been at the center of heated social and political debates. One byproduct...
American Muslims in the 2016 Election and Beyond: Executive Summary
April 5, 2016,In the midst of a polarized and heated election season in 2016 where Muslims were frequent subjects of national debate, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) set out to discover what American Muslims wanted for themselves. ISPU researchers set out to answer three...
American Muslims in the 2016 Election and Beyond: Full Report
April 5, 2016,In the midst of a polarized and heated election season in 2016 where Muslims were frequent subjects of national debate, the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) set out to discover what American Muslims wanted for themselves. ISPU researchers set out to answer three...
American Muslim Poll 2016: Key Findings
March 15, 2016,This is a summary of the key findings of ISPU’s American Muslim Poll: Participation, Priorities, and Facing Prejudice in the 2016 Elections, a poll which offers a timely and groundbreaking look into the American Muslim community. In the years after the September 11th attacks in...
American Muslim Poll 2016: Full Report
March 15, 2016,American Muslim Poll 2016: Participation, Priorities, and Facing Prejudice in the 2016 Elections offers a timely and groundbreaking look into the American Muslim community. In the years after the September 11th attacks in America, Muslims have been the subjects of frequent discussions but seldom among the participants....
Full Report | Strength Through Diversity: Four Cases of Local and State Level Coalition Success
January 1, 2015,Since 9/11, the public spotlight on American Muslims has been intense, and much of the time the exposure has been negative. The level of scrutiny on American Muslims has increased over the years, particularly since 2010 when Florida-based pastor Terry Jones sought to burn the...
Religious Freedom and Discrimination in America – Then and Now: Lessons Learned for American Muslims and Their Allies
November 10, 2014,In the anti-sharia laws being enacted today in states across the country, we see a modern-day example of laws targeting one group but ultimately affecting many others. In evaluating the significance of these laws and formulating solutions, it is important to place them in the...
Manufacturing Bigotry: A State-By-State Legislative Effort to Pushback against 2050 by Targeting Muslims and Other Minorities
November 10, 2014,Demographics in the United States are changing rapidly, and the 2012 presidential election was a clear illustration of the Unites States’ movement toward a more diverse population. Forecasts indicate by 2050, or even 2043 the United States will not only be more populous, it will also...