OAKBROOK TERRACE, ILLINOIS (October 1, 2020) — A trusted polling group released its findings on the views of Muslims in the US today, revealing key insights into the perspectives of this important body of citizens on the eve of an historic election.

American Muslim Poll 2020: Amid Pandemic and Protest is online as of this morning, and a webinar will be available this afternoon to help jounrnalists and engaged citizens navigate the results of the study, published by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU).

“It’s a treasure trove of data,” said Dr Dilara Sayeed of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “It’s just the kind of information policymakers and others need in order to understand the perspectives of our diverse and complex community.”

“ISPU's 2020 survey provides a rare deep dive into the civic engagement of America's most diverse faith community: Muslims.” said ISPU executive director Meira Neggaz.

Among the key findings:

Civic Engagement:

  • Muslims are more likely than general public to express satisfaction with direction of country;
  • Muslim voter registration continues to climb but remains lower than other faith communities;
  • Segment of Muslim voters who intend to vote but have not yet registered shrinks from 21% (2016) to 3% (2020); and
  • Muslim political activity exceeds that of general public.

Islamophobia:

  • Politics, not religion, predicts Islamophobia;
  • Muslims’ frequency of religious discrimination have held steady for five years, with 60–62% of Muslims reporting that they faced discrimination in the year prior to the survey; 
  • In 2017, 38% of Jewish people reported experiencing religious discrimination, compared with 58% in 2020, bringing them on par with Muslims; and
  • The proportion of Muslim families reporting that their child has faced religious-based bullying in 2020 is nearly double the level of families in the general public (51% among Muslims v 27% among the general public).

“Muslims are often presented as a two-dimensional, monolithic group, and that means public policy and perception can miss a lot of what’s happening within the community,” said Reema Kamran, Executive Director of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “ — American Muslim Poll 2020

A webinar reviewing the findings will be available today at 3 p.m. The report and supporting graphics are available here. Follow this link to register for the webinar.

The Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition is a partnership of hundreds of Activists, Influencers and Organizations. Our mission is to collaborate and amplify social and civic efforts towards an equitable and representative America. The Coalition empowers the voices of marginalized and often invisible communities.

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