---

CBC News, USA
Apr. 12, 2006
www.cbsnews.com

---

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 14326 • Posted: Saturday April 15, 2006  

---

(CBS) Although Americans believe they are better informed about Islam than they were five years ago, a new CBS News poll finds fewer than one in five say their impression of the religion is favorable.

Forty-five percent of respondents queried April 6 – 9 said they have an unfavorable view of Islam, a rise from 36 percent in February. And the public’s impression of Islam has diminished even more compared with four years ago. In February 2002 – less than six months after the terrorist attacks of September 11 – the country was evenly divided in its impression of Islam.

WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF ISLAM?
FAVORABLE
Now
19%
2002
30%

UNFAVORABLE
Now
45%
2002
33%

Thirty-six percent of respondents said they haven’t heard enough or don’t know enough to say either way.

Americans today are also more likely than not to believe that Islam encourages violence, at least in comparison to other religions around the world.

The last few months have seen escalating sectarian violence between Shiite and Sunni Islamic factions in Iraq and the ongoing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in the United States. The poll finds 46 percent of Americans believe Islam encourages violence more than other religions, compared with 39 percent of Americans who felt that way two months ago and 35 percent who felt that way in March 2002 (according to a Gallup Poll).

When compared with some other religions practiced in America, positive views of Islam rank below those for mainstream Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism, and Christian fundamentalist faiths. Only Scientology, of all the religions asked about, ranked lower.

WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF….

PROTESTANTISM/OTHER CHRISTIANS
Favorable
58%

Unfavorable
12%

Don’t Know
30%

THE CATHOLIC RELIGION
Favorable
48%

Unfavorable
37%

Don’t Know
15%

THE JEWISH RELIGION
Favorable
47%

Unfavorable
16%

Don’t Know
37%

CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISTS RELIGIONS
Favorable
31%

Unfavorable
31%

Don’t Know
38%

THE MORMON RELIGION
Favorable
20%

Unfavorable
39%

Don’t Know
41%

ISLAM
Favorable
19%

Unfavorable
45%

Don’t Know
36%

SCIENTOLOGY
Favorable
8%

Unfavorable
52%

Don’t Know
40%

For detailed information on how CBS News conducts public opinion surveys, click here.
This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 899 adults, interviewed by telephone April 6-9, 2006. The error due to sampling for results based on the entire sample could be plus or minus three percentage points. Error for subgroups may be higher.

---

What You Can Do From Here

---

Read More Articles On These Topics Categories: Religion Trends Share, Blog About, Bookmark, or Email This Article Subscribe Religion News Blog RSS feed [What is this?] RSS by topic: Religion Trends Read Another Article Previous entry: Over the Moon: how football wins recruits for sect leader in Brazil Next entry: Docs Sound Off On ‘Silent Birth’ RNB Homepage with latest headlines Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults Find Related Books Religion Trends Most Popular Today Imprisoned cult leader Elior Chen refusing to grant wife divorce Uganda remembers ten years after deadly cult massacre Witness explains FLDS views on marriage ‘Theology After Google’ conference takes look at religion in Web era Muslim gangs imposing sharia law in British prisons

---

Share This Article

---

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:

• Post a link on your blog or website:
  
• Send in an email or IM:
  
• Post on a forum:
  

Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- CounterCultSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.

Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs.

Note: results are listed on another domain -- ApologeticsSearch.com -- from which you can easily return here.