The annual British Social Attitudes Survey has revealed a deep suspicion of British people towards their Muslim fellow citizens. A majority claims that multiculturalism has failed, with 52 percent claiming that Britain is deeply divided along religious lines and 45 percent saying that religious diversity has had a negative impact. Only a quarter feels positive about Muslims.
Opposition to Islam is far greater than to any other faith, but suspicion towards religion in general has risen as well. David Voas, professor of population studies at Manchester University, who analyzed the data, again sees a connection to Islam in this tendency. He said that people were becoming intolerant towards all religions because of “the degree to which Islam is perceived as a threat to social cohesion”.
The study will be published later this month.
