Americans are closely divided over how comfortable they feel with public religious expression by Muslims. Like so many other issues, however, comfort with these aspects of Muslim culture and religious expression are strongly correlated with age, not only in the general population but also in more conservative circles that register higher overall levels of discomfort.
Recent PRRI research reveals that while white evangelical Protestants overall tend to be less comfortable with public displays of Muslim religion and culture, there is a striking generational divide between older and younger evangelicals. When asked about a variety of public displays of Muslim culture and religious expression (including Muslim women wearing the burqa and Muslim men praying in an airport), younger white evangelicals (age 18-39) are far more likely to say they are comfortable with these displays than their older counterparts (age 40 and up).
