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Personal Contact Affects Teen Views of Muslims

Personal Contact Affects Teen Views of Muslims

by George H. Gallup Jr.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the world has been carefully observing the interaction between Muslims and non-Muslims in the United States. One question in particular has direct relevance to rapidly evolving global tensions: How do today's teenagers -- the next generation of American adults -- view Islam and Muslims?

The latest Gallup Youth Survey* (conducted in August 2003) sought to measure U.S. teens' awareness of the religion of Islam and the level of personal contact they have had with Muslims. According to the survey, most teens have had little exposure to Islamic ideas or culture. Seventy-two percent of teens indicate that they do not know any Muslims, and fewer than half of teens surveyed (45%) report that there has been teaching or discussion on Islam in their schools.

Gallup also asked teens to indicate whether they agree or disagree with a series of statements about Islam and Muslims. A substantial majority (65%) agree with the statement: "Most Muslims around the world want peace." Thirty percent disagree.

However, agreement with the other statements about Muslims tested in the survey falls off sharply. Although Muslim leaders maintain that Islam embraces people of all races, only about 46% of teens agree that "most Muslims around the world are accepting of people of other races." Almost the same percentage of teens, 48%, disagree. Even fewer teens, 34%, agree that "most Muslims around the world are accepting of people of different religions." Sixty-one percent disagree.

Some social and religious commentators stress commonalities between Christianity and Islam, such as concern for social justice and helping the poor, and belief in a day for reckoning for each person. Others believe that the two religions are profoundly different. When presented with the statement, "Christians' and Muslims' religious beliefs are basically the same," 29% of teens say they agree, while 67% say they disagree.

Teens are even less likely to agree with the final two statements tested. Twenty-three percent agree that "most Muslims around the world believe that women and men should have equal rights," while 73% disagree. And only 15% agree that "most Muslims around the world are accepting of homosexuals," compared to 80% who disagree.

Knowing Muslims Changes Perceptions Dramatically

When it comes to their opinions on these questions, teens do not vary significantly by age, sex, or level of academic achievement. What does make a big difference in perceptions, however, is whether the respondent personally knows any Muslims. For example, the percentage of teens who say that Muslims are accepting of people of other races climbs from 40% among teens who don't know any Muslims to 63% among teens who do know people who are Muslim. Similarly, only 25% of teens who don't know any Muslims believe that the religious beliefs of Christians and Muslims are basically the same, compared to 40% of teens who do know Muslims personally. Such differences exist on most of the items presented in the survey.

*The Gallup Youth Survey is conducted via an Internet methodology provided by Knowledge Networks, using an online research panel that is designed to be representative of the entire U.S. population. The current questionnaire was completed by 517 respondents who had participated in the prior survey, aged 13 to 17, between Aug. 1-Aug. 29, 2003. The prior wave was completed by 1,200 respondents, aged 13 to 17, between Jan. 23-Feb. 10, 2003. For results based on the current sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±8 percentage points. For results based on the prior sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.


Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/9418/Personal-Contact-Affects-Teen-Views-Muslims.aspx
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