Nearly one in five Americans incorrectly say President Obama is a Muslim, up from 11% last year, according to a Pew Research Center poll released today.
In the survey, about one-third of Americans correctly say Obama is a Christian, down from 48% who said so last year. In all, 43% say they do not know what religion Obama practices.
The survey "shows a general uncertainty and confusion about the president's religion," said Alan Cooperman, associate director of research with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
The survey of 3,003 adults was taken July 21-Aug. 5, before Obama endorsed a Muslim group's right to build a mosque and Islamic cultural center near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Those comments, made last weekend, added to the firestorm over the location of the mosque.
On Wednesday, Obama said at an event in Ohio that he has "no regrets" about his comments.
Responses in the poll tended to fall along ideological lines, Pew found. About one-third of self-described conservative Republicans said they believe Obama is a Muslim.
"Those who say he is a Muslim overwhelmingly disapprove of his job performance, while a majority of those who think he is a Christian approve of the job Obama is doing," said a Pew report about the poll. Pew found that "even among many of his supporters and allies, less than half now say Obama is a Christian."
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SOURCE: USA Today - David Jackson
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