ABCNewsWashingtonPostPollonUSViewsofIslamKey.PDFVIP

1800 K Street, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20006 Phone: 1.202.775.3270 Fax: 1.202.775.3199 Web: /burke/reports ABC News/Washington Post Poll on US Views of Islam: Key Trends Anthony H. Cordesman Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy April 2009 Introduction ABC News and the Washingt on Post recently conducted a poll of US attitudes towards Islam and the Muslim world. The results are of significant interest to anyone addressing US relations with Islamic states, and dealing with issues like the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and extremism and terrori sm. The following charts summarize the wor k done by Gary Langer of the ABC News Polling Unit in reporting on the results of the poll. The full analysis can be found on the ABC web site at ABCNEWS.c om at /pollingunit 222 Key Points Quoted from Gary Langer’s Analysis “Americans by 48-41 percent hold an unfavorable opinion of Islam – its highest unfavorable rating in ABC News/Washington Post polls since 2001. And 29 percent express the belief that mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims – down slightly from its peak, but double what it was early in 2002. “Unfamiliarity is a central factor in these views. Fifty-five percent of Americans concede that they lack a good basic understanding of Islam; about as many, 53 percent, don’t personally know a Muslim. People who profess an understanding of Islam, or know a Muslim, have much more