The other key finding in this poll: Fox News viewers are far more likely to be informed on the threat Islam poses (or are a bunch of Islamophobes depending on how you look at things).
(USA Today) — Americans haven’t heard much about upcoming congressional hearings on the radicalization of U.S. Muslims, yet more than half think it’s a good idea, and nearly as many believe Muslims here haven’t done enough to fight extremists in their midst, according to a new poll.
Key findings:
- A majority (56%) believes that a hearing on American Muslim extremism is a good idea, including most Republicans (71%), people who trust Fox News (76%), and white evangelicals (70%). The hearings find less support among Democrats (45%), people who trust CNN (45%) or public television (28%), and white mainline Protestants (50%).
- Nearly half (49%) of Americans do not believe Muslims in the U.S. have been unfairly targeted by law enforcement; more than one-third (36%) believe Muslims have been targeted unfairly.
- One in five (22%) Americans believes U.S. Muslims want to establish Shariah law here. This view is far more common among Republicans (31%) than Democrats (15%), people who trust Fox News (35%) than those who trust public television (9%), and white evangelicals (34%) than white mainline Protestants (20%) or white Catholics (22%).
- A plurality (46%) believes American Muslims have not done enough to oppose Muslim extremism, including most men, white evangelicals, Republicans and Fox News viewers. In contrast, only 42% of Democrats, 43% of people who trust CNN or network news (42%) or public television (30%) say American Muslims haven’t done enough.
- Americans are split over whether they feel well informed about Muslims and Islam, but men (56%) and viewers who trust Fox News (52%) are more likely to report feeling well-informed than women (36%), and viewers who trust CNN (41%) and network news (31%).