New study finds Muslims are most disliked group in America

Disapproval of Muslims in the US almost doubled from 26 per cent 10 years ago to 45.5 per cent in 2016, according to a new study at an American university, reported UK newspaper Independent on Friday.

With conservative politicians increasing their anti-Muslim rhetoric, Muslims are the most disapproved group in America, the newspaper said, citing the study by sociologists at the University of Minnesota, which analyzed Americans’ perceptions of minority faith and racial groups.

Atheists occupied the second place among disapproved groups in the US, being associated with a “lack of morals”.

Disapproval ratings

The survey was carried out between February 2014 and March 2016, and was completed by 2,521 people. It found that disapproval ratings of Jews, Latinos and Asian-Americans also saw a jump by about 10 points each.

Almost half of those surveyed would not want their child to marry a Muslim, compared to just 33.5 per cent of people a decade earlier, the study found.

The study says that rates of anti-Muslim violence spiked after the attacks of September 11, 2001 (as did attacks on Sikh Americans, who are often confused with Muslims by dominant-group members).

Even the generally tolerant millennials exhibit relatively strong anti-Muslim sentiments, finds the study.

The news comes as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) announced that 2016 is on track to be one of the worst years for anti-mosque incidents, with 55 cases reported as of mid-September. There were 79 incidents in 2015.