Overview
Views of Religious Similarities and
Differences
Views of Islam and Muslims
About the Survey
PDF version (24 pgs.)
Topline questionnaire (9 pgs.)
Religious Similarities and Differences
When asked how much various religions resemble their own, the public cites
Protestantism and Catholicism as the faiths most like theirs. Overall, more than four-in-ten non-
Protestants in the survey (44%) say that the Protestant religion and their own faith are similar
(including 12% saying they are very similar), slightly more than say Protestantism and their own
faith are somewhat or very different (38%). Of non-Catholics, 43% see mostly similarities
between Catholicism and their own faith, while roughly half (49%) see mostly differences. More
than one-third of non-Jews say Judaism is somewhat or very similar to their own faith (35%),
while 47% say it is somewhat or very different.
By comparison, the public is even more likely to see differences rather than similarities
between their own religion and Mormonism, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. In fact, majorities
say that each of these faiths is different from their own religion, with sizeable numbers saying
that these religions are very different from their own (37% say this about Mormonism, 40%
about Hinduism, 44% about Buddhism and 45% about Islam).
Protestants see Catholicism as the religion most like their own, followed by Judaism.
Among Protestants in the survey, white evangelicals (49%) and white mainline Protestants
(50%) are somewhat more likely than black Protestants (39%) to see their religion as similar to
Catholicism. But all three groups have roughly the same impression of Judaism’s similarity with
their own faith (39% similar among white evangelicals, 34% among both white mainline
Protestants and black Protestants). Fewer Protestants see Mormonism (22%), Islam (15%),
Hinduism (9%) or Buddhism (7%) as similar to their own faith.
Catholics, especially white, non-Hispanic Catholics, name Protestantism as the faith that
is most similar to Catholicism. Interestingly, Catholics see greater similarities between
Catholicism and Protestantism than do Protestants. After Protestantism, Catholics see Judaism as
most like their faith. Indeed, Catholics are slightly more likely than Protestants to say their faith
is similar to Judaism. Less than a quarter of Catholics (22%) see Mormonism as similar to their
religion, 19% see Islam as similar, 16% see Buddhism as similar, and 12% see Hinduism as
similar.
Compared with other groups, fewer of the religiously unaffiliated see their own beliefs as
similar to Catholicism, Protestantism and Judaism. However, the religiously unaffiliated are
more likely than any other group in the survey to see their own beliefs as similar to Buddhism
(26%).
Analysis of the survey reveals that
perceptions of similarity with religious groups are
linked with more favorable views of these groups.
For instance, non-Catholics who see mostly
similarities between their own faith and
Catholicism are much more likely than those who
see mostly differences to view Catholicism
favorably (76% vs. 54%). And two-thirds of those
who see mostly similarities between their own faith
and Islam have a favorable view of Muslims (65%),
compared with fewer than half of those who see
mostly differences with Islam (37%).
Discrimination and Religious Minorities
Americans are more likely to say there is a lot of
discrimination against Muslims than against any other religious
group asked about in the survey. Most people say there is not a
lot of discrimination against Jews, atheists, Mormons and
evangelical Christians in the U.S., while nearly six-in-ten
(58%) say there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims.
The only group that Americans perceive as subject to
more discrimination than Muslims is homosexuals; nearly twothirds
of adults (64%) say gays and lesbians face a lot of
discrimination. About half say blacks (49%) and Hispanics
(52%) suffer from a lot of discrimination, and more than a third (37%) say there is a lot of
discrimination against women in the U.S. today.
Young people (ages 18-29) are especially likely to say
there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims, with nearly
three-quarters (73%) expressing this view. Among those older
than age 65, by contrast, only 45% say that Muslims face a lot
of discrimination.
Across the political spectrum, most people agree that
there is a lot of discrimination against Muslims. But this
perception is most common among liberal Democrats, with
eight-in-ten saying there is a lot of discrimination against
Muslims. This is significantly higher than among all other
partisan and ideological groups.
There are only minor differences of opinion between members of the major religious
traditions on this question. Black Protestants are most likely to say there is a lot of discrimination
against Muslims (65%), but majorities of all religious groups say Muslims face a lot of
discrimination.
Few Feel Like Part of a Religious Minority
When asked about their own religious status, one-in-five Americans (19%) say they think
of themselves as belonging to a minority because of their religious beliefs while 78% do not,
numbers that are unchanged since early 2001. Though white
evangelicals constitute the single largest religious group in the
country, roughly a quarter (24%) identify themselves as part
of a religious minority, much more than the 11% of white
mainline Protestants and 13% of Catholics who do so. In this
regard, evangelicals resemble black Protestants, among whom
22% regard themselves as part of a religious minority. Among
the religiously unaffiliated, 18% see themselves as part of a
religious minority, a figure significantly higher than among
mainline Protestants or white Catholics.
Frequent attendance at religious services is associated
with a higher tendency to feel like part of a religious minority.
Overall, one-quarter of those who attend religious services at
least once a week say they are a minority because of their
beliefs, compared with 16% of those who attend less often.
And among white evangelicals, nearly three-in-ten regular
churchgoers (29%) see themselves as part of a religious
minority. Likewise, 23% of those who say religion is very
important in their lives think of themselves as minorities,
compared with 14% of those who say religion is less important in their lives.
Politically, those in the middle of the ideological spectrum are less likely to consider
themselves part of a religious minority. Just 13% of moderates identify as religious minorities,
compared with 22% of conservatives and 21% of liberals.
Overview
Views of Religious Similarities and
Differences
Views of Islam and Muslims
About the Survey
PDF version (24 pgs.)
Topline questionnaire (9 pgs.)