AMERICAN MUSLIMS 2022: YOUNGER AND MORE PIOUS THAN ANY OTHER FAITH GROUP IN THE USA

August 25^th 2022 saw the release of the latest report from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU). Titled “American Muslim Poll 2022: A Politics and Pandemic Status Report”, this is the sixth installment of the poll which presents an updated demographic profile of American Muslims¹. Both previous and new questions were included in the report, with the addition of military service and jobs created. Voter registration and intention to vote were monitored, as well as possible experiences of voter suppression².

The study captures perspectives in an election year and findings reflect a nation “facing economic struggles, continued racial inequity, gun violence, and an ever-growing partisan divide”³. For American Muslims, compared to the general U.S. population, findings also show that COVID has had a disproportionately negative impact, both economically and psychologically (see Euro-Islam “The Financial and Health Implications of COVID-19 on US and UK Muslim Communities: A Comparison”).

Methodology
The survey was conducted between February 22^nd – March 21^st 2022 in conjunction with SSRS (a firm who provide innovative methodologies, optimised sampling, questionnaire refinement and ways to reach low incidence populations)included a total of 2,159 respondents being surveyed and interviews were conducted with 807 Muslim adults, 251 Jewish adults, and 1,001 adults from the general population⁴. 1,569 of these interviews were completed by web survey, 330 by mobile phone, and 260 by landline⁵. Among Muslim respondents specifically, 214 interviews were completed over the phone and 593 via web survey. For Jewish respondents, 315 interviews were completed over the phone and 36 online, and for the general population 940 interviews were conducted via the web panel and 61 by phone⁶.

It is important to note the use of the category “white Muslims” throughout their report. According to thee 2021 ISPU report“Who are White Muslims?” , Muslims hailing from European ancestry are most likely to consider themselves white in the US context, including individuals from Eastern Europe formally under Ottoman rule,  from the  Caucasus,and Russia. Additionally, ethnic Turks and Persians are also counted as white under census rules, and individuals of Arab descent may self-identify as white⁸.

Key Findings

1. “American Muslims Are More Likely to be Young with Low income but as Likely as Others to be College Educated”.

In the 2017 poll,  American Muslims were younger than any other faith or non-faith group surveyed in the U.S⁹. Similar findings were found in the 2022 poll, with 26% of American Muslims surveyed being between the ages of 18-24, while the same age group accounts for  2 to 12% of  Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, White Evangelical, Non-Affiliated and the General Public¹⁰. Similarly, 7% of American Muslims are part of the  older age groups (65+),  compared to over a quarter of Jews and Catholic, and over a third of Protestants and White Evangelicals¹¹.

This age distribution has wide-ranging implications. American Muslims will be more likely to contribute to the labour force and paying taxes, and with a larger share of the population being of child-bearing age, the community will grow faster than groups with an average older age grouping¹². It also means that “a significant element of the group has never known American before 9/11, and have come of age in a world where their faith is often targeted by political figures and law enforcement”¹³.

Regarding income, the survey found American Muslims are the faith community most likely to be poor (similar to 2017 findings), with one third of American Muslims having a household income of less than $30,000¹⁴ and only one fifth of American Muslims earn $100,000 or more. The latter statistic is on par with all other groups except American Jews, with 44% of Jewish Americans earning $100,000 or more and only 12% having a household income of >$30,000¹⁵.

When breaking income statistics down by ethnicity, Black Muslims (as well as Black Americans in the wider population) are more likely to report having a lower income, with 41% of Black Muslims reporting an income of less than $30,000 per year. This is more than 25% of white, 23% of Asian, and 29% of Arab Muslims. ¹⁶

When it comes to education levels,  46% of American Muslims have a college degree or higher¹⁷. This is on par with 47% of Catholics, but greater than the proportion of Protestants (38%), white Evangelicals (38%), non-affiliated (38%) and the general public (38%). The only faith group with a higher proportion of college degree was American Jews with 60% obtaining a degree¹⁸.

1. “Compared to other religious groups, American Muslims are more likely to be students and less likely to be retired”

The 2022 ISPU  survey includes new questions regarding employment. Results show that American Muslims, like all other faith and non-faith groups are just as likely to be in full-time employment (approximately 43% of those surveyed)¹⁹. Due to the young demographic,  they are less likely than any other faith groups to be retired²⁰. Breaking these statistics down by gender, amongst all faith and non-faith groups, men are more likely to be in full-time employment:  25% of Muslim men are more likely than women to have a full-time job²¹. Muslims were also three times more likely than all Christian groups to be temporarily unemployed (7% vs 1-2%)²².

1. “Roughly One in Ten Muslims are Self-Employed”

One in ten Muslims reported owning their own business or being self-employed, similar to Catholics (8%), white Evangelicals (6%), non-affiliated (8%), and the general public (6%). Muslims are less likely to be self employed than Jews (16%) but more likely than Protestants (3%). Looking at gender statistics, both Muslim men and woman are equally likely to be self-employed²³.

1. “Muslims as likely as other faith and non-faith groups to serve in the US Military”

Despite only 83% of American Muslims being US citizens (compared to 90%+ of all other faith and non-faith groups), Muslims were more likely to serve in the military (11%) than Jews (5%), Catholics (10%) and Protestants (11%)²⁴. When looking at ethnicity and race, white Muslims (17%) are more likely to serve than Asian (4%) and Arab (<1%) Muslims²⁵. Black Muslims are also more likely than Arab Muslims to serve in the military (10% vs <1%). Whilst Black Muslims were just as likely as Black Americans in the general public to serve (10%), white Muslims were more likely than white Americans in the general public to have served (17% vs 11%)²⁶.

1. “American Muslims, Across Age and Race, Remain  One of the Most Religious group in the USA”

Covid impacted the practice of Americans faith, with many “reporting higher religious practice as a consequence of the pandemic”²⁷.  American Muslims remain amongst the most religious group in the USA, with 70% of Muslims saying religion is “very important” to them²⁸, compared to 65% of Protestants, 37% of Jews, 35% of Catholics, and 38% of the general public. White Evangelicals are the group most likely to say religion is very important at 83%. Breaking statistics down by gender, Muslim men (71%) and women (69%) both  view religion as “very important”. This is a lot higher than the general public where women (43%) are more likely than men (33%) to hold religion as very important²⁹.

67% of Muslims across all ages  see their faith as “very important”. This is higher than the general public, where older groups were more likely (41% of 50year-olds+) to view religion as very important than younger age groups (only 30% of 18-29-year-olds)³⁰.

When looking at ethnicity/race statistics, Muslims across different races and ethnicities  see religion as “very important” to their daily lives: 77% of Black Muslims, 67% of white Muslims, 73% of Asian Muslims and 64% of Arab Muslims. The authors of the report note that as diverse as the American Muslim community is “across racial, socio-economic, and even ideological political lines, it is noteworthy that devotion to faith is a common denominator”³¹.

1. “American Muslim Religious Attendance remains consistent with previous years”

42% of Muslims report attending a religious service at least once a week³² and are more likely than the general public to do so. This is consistent with findings from the previous 2020 Mosque Survey (see Euro-Islam “US Mosque Study 2020: Key Findings”). There is no difference in frequency of mosque attendance by race or ethnicity amongst American Muslims.

Only 14% of Muslims say they never go to the mosque, and Muslim men (12%) are as likely as Muslim women (16%) to not attend, and this is similar across all age groups³³.

1. “American Muslims most likely to be optimistic about the direction of the country”

Similarly to previous years American Muslims are most optimistic about the US’ direction, with 48% of Muslims being optimistic compared to 31% of Jews, 24% of Catholics, 17% of Protestants, 17% non-affiliated, 18% of the general public and only 4% of white Evangelicals³⁴. 95% of white Evangelicals report dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, a 39% increase from 2020. The authors  of the report explain that this optimism  may be related to the victory of the Democratic Party  in  the 2020, Presidential election as 69% of white Evangelicals identify as Republicans³⁵. There are also no gender differences on satisfaction with the direction of the US.

However, the satisfaction with the direction of the country varies by age and racial groups, with middle-aged Muslims being the most satisfied (54%) in contrast to  42% of 18-29-year-old Muslims. White Muslims (67%) were more likely than Black (40%), Asian (50%), and Arab (30%) Muslims to be satisfied with the direction of the country. Arab Muslims were most likely to report being dissatisfied (69%), compared to 31% of white Muslims and 48% of Asian Muslims³⁶.

Specifically looking at the Biden Presidency, Muslims are more likely to be satisfied with the direction of the country (48%) under the Biden administration than during the 4-year term of Trump, where Muslims were often targeted with negative rhetoric and policies³⁷.

1. “American Muslims among the most likely to approve of President Biden”

Muslims are the faith group most likely  to approve of President Biden’s performance (60%), compared to 36% of Protestants, 16% of white Evangelicals, 46% non-affiliated and 42% of the general public³⁸. Amongst  the faith groups surveyed, there was no difference in gender. However, for the general public women (47%) were more likely to approve of President Biden than men (36%)³⁹.

When looking at presidential approval by age, young Muslims are the least likely to approve (48% compared to 64% of 30-49-year-olds)⁴⁰. Looking at race, Arab Muslims (39%) are least likely to approve of Biden’s performance, compared to 58% of Black, 63% of Asian and 73% of white Muslims.

1. “American Muslim presidential approval rebounds after dip during Trump administration”

For both American Muslims and Jews, presidential approval improved after four years of the Trump administration to 60% of Muslims and 57% of Jews. In 2018, only 13% of Muslims and  27% of Jews approved of Trump, a 67% decrease for Muslims and 31% decrease for American Jews since the 2016 Obama presidency⁴¹.

1. “American Muslim voter registration continues to climb”

In 2022, 79% of American Muslims are eligible to vote in the US, which is significantly lower than 90% of all other groups surveyed. Amongst those eligible, 81% of American Muslims  are registered⁴². Regarding race, there was no age or racial difference in voter registration.

Over time, American Muslim voter registration has increased significantly from 60% in 2016 to 81% in 2022, reflecting the work of voter registration drives and Muslim civic organisations⁴³.

1. American Muslims are more likely than all other faith and non-faith groups to report facing obstacles when casting their vote

Despite the 2022 presidential election being a historic voter turnout, voter suppression remains a critical issue in the US⁴⁴. Among eligible Muslim voters, 46% reported experiencing some form of obstacle, with Muslim men (52%) more likely than Muslim women (38%) to report facing voting obstacles⁴⁵.

When looking at the data by age, both Muslim younger voters, and youngers voters in the general population, were more likely than older age groups to report facing obstacles. For example, 55% of Muslims age 18-29, and 20% of Muslims aged 30-49 reported facing obstacles when voting.

Statistics from the poll also show racial/ethnic differences in reports of voting obstacles. White Muslims were also more likely to report facing obstacles (59%) compared to 35% Black, 37% Asian, 42% Arab Muslim eligible voters⁴⁶. Among the general public however, white voters were least likely to report facing obstacles compared to 31% of Black eligible voters and 28% of Hispanic voters.

25% of Muslims cited long wait times when voting as an obstacle. Longer wait times “are more often experiences by racial/ethnic minorities and poorer precincts and  reflect the lack of electoral resources in these precincts”⁴⁷.

1. “American Muslims equally likely to politically identify as Democrats or Independents”

46% of American Muslims identify as Democrats. This is slightly higher than 45% of Jews and 40% of non-affiliated and  higher  than 35% of Catholics, 25% of Protestants, and only 6% of white Evangelicals⁴⁸. 40% of Muslims identify as independents, more likely than any other group, and only approximately 10% of Muslims identify as Republicans, lower than any other group 18%<⁴⁹. Younger Muslims are less likely than other age groups to identify with a party, with only 39% of young Muslims identifying as Democrat compared to 51% of 30-40-year-olds. Nearly half of young Muslims identified as Independent⁵⁰.

1. “Muslims view Climate Change as a result of human behaviour, favouring government regulation as a solution”

56% of Muslims, along with 60% of Jews, 48% of Catholics and 68% of non-affiliated see climate change as a “great deal” the result of human behaviour⁵¹. This is more likely than 35% of Protestants and a quarter of white Evangelicals. American Muslims across all ages were equally likely to consider that climate change is a “great deal”  and the result of human behaviour (59% of 18-29, 57% of 30-49, and 47% of 50+ year-olds)⁵². In the general public, older groups are less likely to view climate change as the result of human behaviour.

Black Muslims (46%) are less likely to believe climate change is a “great deal”  and the result of human behaviour  compared to Asian Muslims (67%)⁵³. Black Muslims are also more likely than white and Asian Muslims to believe climate change is “not at all” the result of human behaviour (13% Black Muslims vs 5% white, and 1% Asian)⁵⁴.

Muslims were among the most supportive of government regulation (71%) as a solution to increase reliance on renewable energy⁵⁵.

1. The majority of Muslims who are familiar with Critical Race Theory express support for its principles

Muslims, compared to any other group surveyed, are the most likely to favour ideas and movements associated with racial equity. For example, Muslims are most likely to support the Black Lives Matter movement, compared to any other faith group. American Muslims, however, are less likely to be familiar with critical race theory (CRT) with 64% reporting they are not unfamiliar with the theory.

Those who expressed familiarity with CRT were asked a follow-up question about their agreement with CRT principles. Here, 70% of Muslims and 76% of non-affiliated were more likely to express agreement with the core principles of CRT. This is significantly higher than Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and white Evangelicals, where <50% were in agreement with CRT principles⁵⁶.

Breaking these statistics down further by race, 74% of white Muslims are more likely than 59% Asian and 51% of Arab Muslims to say they are familiar with CRT. 66% of Black Muslims report familiarity. Among those familiar, 79% of white Muslims are in agreement with CRT principles, 18% higher than Black Muslims⁵⁷.

1. Discrimination and Islamophobia

The Islamophobia index measures levels of public endorsement of five false and negative stereotypes associated with Muslims. Respondents are asked to indicate how much they agree or disagree with each statement on a scale of 1-5 (1 being strongly disagree and 5 strongly agree)⁵⁸:

1. “Most Muslims living in the US are prone to violence than other people”.
2. Most Muslims living in the US discriminate against women”.
3. “Most Muslims living in the US are hostile to the US”.
4. “Most Muslims living in the US are less civilised than other people”.
5. “Most Muslims living in the US are partially responsible for acts of violence carried out by other Muslims”⁵⁹

The general public saw a 2% drop on the Islamophobia index since 2020. Jewish Americans were the lowest among all faith groups to hold Islamophobia beliefs, with an index score of 17/100 with Evangelicals scoring the highest with 30/100. American Muslims however, scored 26⁶⁰ which shows an increase from 18 in 2018. Further analysis shows that the higher Islamophobia index scores are driven primarily by white Muslims. In 2020 white Muslims showed increased Islamophobia with a score of 27 (7% higher than 2019), which has again risen to 40 in 2022.

Trope 1: Violence
64% of Muslims disagree with this notion. However, 24% of American Muslims still strongly agree with this statement, which is two times higher than any other group, the next highest being non-affiliated at 13%⁶¹. 35% of white Muslims are likely to agree compared to 18% Black, 16% Asian and 23% Arab Muslims. Younger Muslims are also more likely to agree with this trope than older groups (24% 18-29 and 33% 30-49-year-olds, compared to only 9% of 50+). Converts were also far less likely to endorse this stereotype (11% vs 27% of those born into the faith)⁶².

Trope 2: Misogyny
69% of Muslims disagree with the misogyny trope, with 57% of Jews, 41% Catholic, 39% Protestants, 50% non-affiliated and 45% of the general public also disagreeing. White Evangelicals are the most likely to agree with the tropes that Muslims are inherently misogynistic at 32%⁶³. There is no gender difference in levels of agreement between American Muslims. Concerning age, the youngest group (18-29) are significantly less likely than older groups to agree with the tope that Muslims are misogynistic (8%) vs 21% of 30-49-year-olds and 24% of 50+. Regarding race, Black, Asian and Arab Muslims are on par with their level of agreement in thos trope, whereas white Muslims 34% are more likely to express agreement⁶⁴.

Trope 3: Hostility to the US
Muslims (19%) are more likely to agree with this view than any other faith group, with Muslim men being 9% likely than women to endorse it. American Muslims aged 30-49 were more likely to endorse the hostility trope (31%) which is significantly higher than those aged 18-29 (14%) and those aged 50+ (7%). White Muslims (31%) are also more likely than Black, Asian, and Arab Muslims >18% to endorse the trope Muslims are hostile to the US⁶⁵.

Trope 4: Less Civilised
Again, Muslims exhibit higher levels of endorsement of this trope, with American Muslims three times more likely than white Evangelicals to agree. 19% of Muslims agree with this trope compared to all other groups surveyed with less than 8% of each group agreeing. Within the 19% of Muslims who agree, 11% strongly agree and Muslim men are 9% more likely than Muslim women to endorse this trope. Similarly, to the hostility trope, those aged 30-49 were more likely to agree than other age groups and white Muslims are more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to endorse this idea too⁶⁶.

Trope 5: Collective Guilt
18% of Muslims agree with this trope, with 12% “strongly agreeing”. Again, this is higher than any other faith and non-faith group surveyed. Muslim men and women are equally likely to endorse this trope, with those aged 30-49 (30%) and white Muslims (31%) being more likely than any other age group of race/ethnicity to agree⁶⁷.

The authors acknowledge that internalised Islamophobia is prevalent amongst American Muslims, particularly in younger members of the community who have lived the majority of their lives after 9/11⁶⁸.

1. Discrimination and Bullying

The religious discrimination experienced by Muslims remains  high, with 62% of American Muslims reporting religious discrimination – higher than any other faith group. There was no gender difference in reporting of discrimination, but younger Muslims (69% of 18-29 and 68% of 30-49-year-olds) were more likely to report experiences of discrimination. Racial differences of discrimination also exist, with 71% of white Muslim reporting experiencing discrimination, 15% higher than Black Muslims. 29% of white Muslims also report facing discrimination regularly, compared to 7% of Black Muslims, 12% of Asian and 6% of Arab Muslims⁶⁹.

Among those who reported facing discrimination, a further question was asked regarding the setting it took place. The results show that Muslims were more likely than American Jews and the general public to experience discrimination in the following settings:

• When applying for a job: 37% of Muslims vs 5% of Jews and 6% general public.
• Interacting with law enforcement: 38% of Muslims vs 9% Jews and 10% general public.
• At the airport: 44% of Muslims vs 11% Jews and 3% general public.
• Seeking healthcare: 27% Muslims vs 5% Jews and 8% general public.
• Social Media (accounts closed, messages removed, or being de-platformed): 46% Muslims vs 36% of the general public⁷⁰.

When applying for a job, interacting with law enforcement and on social media platforms, Muslim men were significantly more likely than Muslim women to face discrimination.

Within interpersonal settings, 43% of Muslims reported facing discrimination from co-workers⁷¹. This is 14% higher than reported by American Jews and 20% higher than the general public.

Similarly to 2017 and 2020, the poll shows how Islamophobia is extended to Muslim children in the form of bullying with 48% of Muslim families with school-age children reporting having a child who has faced religious-based bullying at school⁷². This situation is more frequent than in  Jewish families (13%) and the general public (18%). A fifth of Muslims also reported  nearly every day occurrences of bullying. Muslim parents reported that bullying from peers took place both online  (31%) and in-person (64%). A further 42% of families reported  that their child has been bullied by a teacher or school official in-person and 19% from a teacher/official online⁷³.

Recommendations
Based on the results from the survey, the ISPU present numerous recommendations to different groups in the U.S to helpaddress some of the challenges facing American Muslim communities.

1. Muslim Community Leaders were advised to educate community members on, and provide resources on how to report Institutional Islamophobia, address Muslim mental health challenges, and how to respond to voting obstacles.
2. Interfaith Leaders and Allies were advised to recognise Islamophobia as individual and institutional, include Islamophobia content on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training/policies, and partner with Muslim organisations on issues of collective importance.
3. Educators, similarly, were given similar recommendations around issues of Islamophobia. They were also advised to include in their curriculum, contributions from diverse communities, anti-bullying lessons (including how to be an active bystander and to recognise your own biases as an educator).
4. Advice for Social Media Companies focussed on reviewing anti-bullying safeguards to include a religious-discrimination lens, to include anti-Islamophobia content in EDI training and to apply “misinformation” warnings to anti-Muslim conspiracies online.
5. Media Professionals, were advised to accurately and creatively portray Muslim communities beyond Muslim stereotypes, the recruit more Muslim writers, journalists and producers, and include anti-Islamophobia content in diversity training⁷⁴.

Sources