Research tracks shifting religious bias in America after 9/11
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Rice University researchers studied how attitudes toward Muslims in America changed from 2002 to 2024, finding a decline in overall support for restrictive policies but a growing division along political and religious lines.
Following the September 11th attacks, Americans initially responded with a unified stance regarding perceived external threats. However, over time, internal divisions within the United States, based on politics, religion, and demographics, became more influential in shaping attitudes toward Muslims.
The researchers compared surveys from 2002 and 2019, revealing that the percentage of Americans who favored making it harder for Muslims to settle in the U.S. decreased from 38% to 17%. More recently, a 2024 survey examined religious bias after the October 7th, 2023 attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza. This research showed that 23% of Jewish and 16% of Muslim respondents reported increased religious bias or hostility since the conflict began.
Kerby Goff of the Boniuk Institute explained that international conflicts can worsen existing tensions within the U.S. particularly when they connect with internal disagreements. Elaine Howard Ecklund added that including religious minorities requires balancing national identity with religious pluralism, and when those two concepts conflict, discrimination can result. Researchers are also investigating how communities can overcome differences, finding that shared problems can encourage cooperation between religious groups.
