Americans have dichotomies of thought when it comes to terrorist threats, but still believe that Muslims are an important part of the US religious community.
The December 2015 PRRI/RNS Religion News Survey gathered Americans’ opinions about terrorism, refugees, Muslims and Islam, immigrants, and mass shootings. While the research shows that Americans are still trying to make sense of the recent terrorist attacks, they maintain a stance of inclusion. The survey, funded in part by Carnegie Corporation and conducted by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in partnership with Religion News Service, found that while most Americans are increasingly concerned about terrorism, many still feel that the United States should allow Syrian refugees to enter the country. The research also shows that, despite the somewhat intense negative rhetoric around Islam, 57 percent of Americans think that American Muslims are an important part of the religious community. This number, says Dr. Robert P. Jones, CEO of PRRI, has remained stable over the past few years. Learn more about this recent survey and about the Public Religion Research Institute.
For more coverage of this survey, read the article in The Washington Post.
