Fear, Fairness, and Fox News: Forces shaping how the public thinks about Islam and American Muslims

Fear, Fairness, and Fox News
Forces shaping how the public thinks about Islam and American Muslims

PRRI Data Resources
Poll: King Hearings (PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey, 02/2011)
http://www.publicreligion.org/research/?id=435
Op-ed, “Fears, Fairness, and Fox News: Three Forces Shaping How the Public Thinks about American Muslims,” Washington Post (02/24/2011)
http://bit.ly/PRRI_fear_fairness_Islam
Poll: Islam and American Values (Public Religion Research Institute, Pre-election American Values Survey, 09/2010)
http://www.publicreligion.org/research/published/?id=428
Poll: Park 51 Islamic Community Center and Mosque Controversy (PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey, 08/2010)http://www.publicreligion.org/research/published/?id=358
2

Other Data Sources
CNN Opinion Research Poll (03/2011)
Los Angeles Times Survey, 08/2002.
Pew Research Center Surveys, 2003 – 2010.
Pew Research Center, Religion and Politics Survey, 08/2009.
Pew Research Center, Omnibus, 08/2010.
3

Context – Low Information
Knowledge of Islam
Personal Relationships with Muslims
4

Relationships with Muslims andKnowledge of Islam
41%
Percent of Americans who say they know someone who is Muslim.
Source: Pew Research Center, 08/2010 (N-1,003).
5
45%
Percent of Americans who feel well informed about Islam, the Muslim Religion, and about the practices and beliefs of Muslims.
Source: PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey, 02/2011 (N=1,015).

Feel Well-Informed about IslamBy Trusted Media Sources
6

Trends
Knowledge of Islam
Favorability of Islam and Muslims
7

Knowledge about Islam
8

Favorable Views of IslamBy Party Affiliation
9

Views of Islam and Violence
10

Favorability of American Muslims
11

Discrimination and Acceptance of Muslims in America
12

Deep Divides over Islam’s Compatibility with ‘American Values’
Percent who agree:
The values of Islam, the Muslim religion, are at odds with American values and way of life.
Source: Public Religion Research Institute, Post-election American Values Survey, 11/2010 (N=1,494).
Fears, Fairness, and Fox News
13

Majority Believe Muslims Face ‘A Lot’ of Discrimination
14

Muslims Unfairly Targeted by Law Enforcement by Party Affiliation
15

Muslims & American Religious Landscape by Party Affiliation
16

The Park51 Islamic Community Center and Mosque Controversy
17

Opposition to Park51 Community Center/Mosque near World Trade Center Site
18

Support for Muslims building Mosques inLocal Communities
19

World Trade Center Site as Sacred Ground
20

Support for Park51 Community Center/Mosque by Views of Sacred Ground
21

The Rep. Peter King Congressional Hearings
Wrestling with Fear and Fairness
22

King Hearings: Fear and Fairness
23

Fear and Fairness by Party Affiliation
24

The Fox News Effect
25

Hearings good idea by Trusted News Sources
26

Fox News EffectStrongest Independent Predictor of Views
Trust in Fox News is a more powerful independent predictor of saying the King hearings are a good idea than evangelical affiliation, Republican Party affiliation, education, or age. Race and gender are not significant.
Holding other demographic characteristics constant, Americans who most trust Fox News are 4 times more likely than those who most trust other TV news sources to say the upcoming hearings on alleged Muslim extremism are a good idea.
27

Fox News Effect among Republicans
28

Fox News Effect among Evangelicals
29

Forces shaping how the public thinks about Islam and American Muslims
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Fear, Fairness, and Fox News: Forces shaping how the public thinks about Islam and American Muslims

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Fear, Fairness, and Fox News: Forces shaping how the public thinks about Islam and American Muslims Presentation Transcript