Pollster Mallory Newall said in an interview that aired Thursday on “What America’s Thinking” that fewer respondents view Muslim Americans as “real Americans,” compared to members of other religions.
“We have done some research on what it means to be a ‘real American,’ in which we’ve asked an extensive list of everything from where you’re from, your religious affiliation, your race, your partisan identity, and are those groups of people a real American or not?” Newall told Hill.TV’s Jamal Simmons.
“What we found in our research is that fewer people say that Muslims are real Americans compared to Protestants, Catholics, or even Jews,” she continued.
“So it’s still a majority say yes ,they are real Americans, but in lower numbers than other religious groups around the country,” she said.
President Trump has faced backlash for his comments on Muslims, particularly in regard to his travel ban. As a presidential candidate, Trump said that “Islam hates us” and called for a “shutdown” on all Muslims entering the U.S.
Research shows that Muslim Americans have felt less optimistic about the future of the U.S. in the years since Trump took office.
A study released by the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding earlier this year found that 27 percent of Muslim Americans were satisfied about the direction the U.S. was headed, down from 41 percent in 2017 and 63 percent in 2016.
— Julia Manchester
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