Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is Muslim

A substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is Muslim, while the proportion saying he is Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center. 

The survey, whose findings and analysis can be found on the Pew Research Center website, finds that nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) now say Obama is Muslim, up from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is Christian, down sharply from 48% in 2009, while 43% say they do not know what Obama’s religion is. The survey was completed in early August, before Obama’s recent comments about the proposed construction of a mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center.

When asked how they learned about Obama’s religion in an open-ended question, 60% of those who say Obama is a Muslim cite the media. Among specific media sources, television (at 16%) is mentioned most frequently. About one-in-ten (11%) of those who say Obama is a Muslim say they learned of this through Obama’s own words and behavior.

Beliefs about Obama’s religion are closely linked to political judgments about him. Those who say he is a Muslim overwhelmingly disapprove of his job performance, while a majority of those who think he is a Christian approve of the job Obama is doing. Those who are unsure about Obama’s religion are about evenly divided in their views of his performance.