The public’s views of whether Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence have changed little in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Currently, 42% say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers, while 46% say Islam does not encourage violence more than other religions.

These are similar to opinions about Islam and violence for most of the past decade. But in March 2002, six months after the 9/11 attacks, just 25% said Islam was more likely to encourage violence while 51% disagreed.

The new national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted May 1-5 among 1,504 adults, finds sizable demographic and religious differences in attitudes toward Islam and violence. And the partisan gap is as large as ever: 62% of Republicans say that Islam encourages violence more than other religions, compared with 39% of independents and just 29% of Democrats.

The survey also finds that Muslim Americans are seen as facing more discrimination than some other groups in society, including gays and lesbians, Hispanic Americans, African Americans and women.

Overall, 45% say that Muslim Americans face a lot of discrimination, and 28% say they are subject to some discrimination. Only about one-in-five say that Muslim Americans face only a little (13%) or no discrimination (6%).

About four-in-ten (39%) say that gays and lesbians face a lot of discrimination. Smaller percentages say that Hispanic Americans (25%), African Americans (22%) and women (15%) face a lot of discrimination.

Opinions about Islam and Violence

Most young people continue to reject the idea that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers. Six-in-ten (60%) of those younger than 30 say Islam does not encourage violence more than other religions, as do 54% of those 30 to 49. By contrast, about half of those 50 to 64 (51%) and 65 and older (53%) say that Islam is more likely to encourage violence.

There also are gender differences in these opinions: By 48% to 39%, men say Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence; women, by 52% to 35%, disagree.

The wide partisan differences in these opinions are even starker among ideological groups: Fully 69% of conservative Republicans say Islam encourages violence more than other religions. About the same percentage of liberal Democrats (71%) say that Islam is no more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

Among religious groups, most white evangelical Protestants (63%) say that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence. White Catholics are divided (43% more likely, 43% not more likely).

By 53% to 40%, white mainline Protestants say Islam does not encourage violence more than other religions. The balance of opinion is similar among the religiously unaffiliated (54% to 35%).

Views of Discrimination against Muslim Americans, Other Groups

There are sizable partisan differences in views of discrimination against Muslim Americans and other groups included in the survey. Nearly twice as many Democrats (57%) as Republicans (29%) say Muslim Americans face a lot of discrimination. About half of independents (47%) say the same.

Democrats also are more likely than Republicans to see a lot of discrimination against Hispanics (by 23 points), African Americans (22 points), gays and lesbians (19 points) and women (11 points).

Age also is a factor in these opinions: About half of those under 30 (51%) and 30-49 (49%) say there is a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans. That compares with 42% of those 50-64 and just 35% of those 65 and older.

There also are substantial differences between the youngest and oldest age groups in perceptions of discrimination against gays and lesbians: 51% of those younger than 30 think there is a lot of discrimination against gays and lesbians, compared with 28% of those 65 and older.

Notably, blacks, whites and Hispanics are all about equally likely to say there is a great deal of discrimination against Muslim Americans (47% of blacks and Hispanics and 45% of whites). When it comes to perceptions of discrimination against blacks and Hispanics, however, the differences are much greater. Nearly half of blacks (46%) say there is a lot of discrimination against African Americans, compared with a quarter of Hispanics (25%) and 16% of whites.

About four-in-ten blacks (43%) and Hispanics (38%) say there is a lot of discrimination against Hispanic Americans, compared with 20% of whites.

Notably, blacks are about as likely to say there is a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans (47%) and Hispanic Americans (43%) as against African Americans (46%). Far more whites see a lot of discrimination against Muslim Americans than either Hispanic Americans (20%) or African Americans (16%).

The public remains divided over whether Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers. Currently, 40% say the Islamic religion is more likely than others to encourage violence while 42% say it is not.

These opinions have changed little in recent years. But in March 2002, just 25% saw Islam as more likely to encourage violence while twice as many (51%) disagreed.

The national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Feb. 22-March 1 among 1,504 adults, finds that most young people reject the idea that Islam is more likely than other religions to promote violence. Nearly six-in-ten (58%) of those younger than 30 say Islam does not encourage violence more than other religions; 31% say it does. By contrast, a plurality of those 50 and older (45%) say Islam is more likely to encourage violence.

Political and ideological divisions are even wider: By roughly three-to-one (66% to 21%), conservative Republicans say Islam encourages violence more than other religions. Moderate and liberal Republicans are divided – 46% say Islam is more likely to encourage violence, 47% say it is not.

By more than two-to-one (61% to 29%), liberal Democrats say that Islam is not more likely than other religions to promote violence. Conservative and moderate Democrats, by a smaller margin (48% to 31%), agree.

Fully 67% of those who agree with the Tea Party movement say Islam is more associated with violence than other religions. Among those who disagree with the Tea Party, the balance of opinion is nearly reversed – 62% say Islam is no more likely than other religions to promote violence while 24% say it is. Among the large share of the public that offers no opinion of the Tea Party, 38% say Islam is more likely to promote violence while about the same number (41%) disagrees.

A clear majority of white evangelical Protestants (60%) say that Islam is more likely to encourage violence than are other religions. Far fewer white mainline Protestants (42%) and white Catholics (39%) express this view. And by nearly two-to-one (56% to 30%), the religiously unaffiliated say that the Islamic religion does not encourage violence more than others.

The first-ever, nationwide, random sample survey of Muslim Americans finds them to be largely assimilated, happy with their lives, and moderate with respect to many of the issues that have divided Muslims and Westerners around the world.

The Pew Research Center conducted more than 55,000 interviews to obtain a national sample of 1,050 Muslims living in the United States. Interviews were conducted in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. The resulting study, which draws on Pew’s survey research among Muslims around the world, finds that Muslim Americans are a highly diverse population, one largely composed of immigrants. Nonetheless, they are decidedly American in their outlook, values and attitudes. This belief is reflected in Muslim American income and education levels, which generally mirror those of the public.

Key findings include:

• Overall, Muslim Americans have a generally positive view of the larger society. Most say their communities are excellent or good places to live.
• A large majority of Muslim Americans believe that hard work pays off in this society. Fully 71% agree that most people who want to get ahead in the U.S. can make it if they are willing to work hard.
• The survey shows that although many Muslims are relative newcomers to the U.S., they are highly assimilated into American society. On balance, they believe that Muslims coming to the U.S. should try and adopt American customs, rather than trying to remain distinct from the larger society. And by nearly two-to-one (63%-32%) Muslim Americans do not see a conflict between being a devout Muslim and living in a modern society.
• Roughly two-thirds (65%) of adult Muslims in the U.S. were born elsewhere. A relatively large proportion of Muslim immigrants are from Arab countries, but many also come from Pakistan and other South Asian countries. Among native-born Muslims, roughly half are African American (20% of U.S. Muslims overall), many of whom are converts to Islam.

• Based on data from this survey, along with available Census Bureau data on immigrants’ nativity and nationality, the Pew Research Center estimates the total population of Muslims in the United States at 2.35 million.
• Muslim Americans reject Islamic extremism by larger margins than do Muslim minorities in Western European countries. However, there is somewhat more acceptance of Islamic extremism in some segments of the U.S. Muslim public than others. Fewer native-born African American Muslims than others completely condemn al Qaeda. In addition, younger Muslims in the U.S. are much more likely than older Muslim Americans to say that suicide bombing in the defense of Islam can be at least sometimes justified. Nonetheless, absolute levels of support for Islamic extremism among Muslim Americans are quite low, especially when compared with Muslims around the world.
• A majority of Muslim Americans (53%) say it has become more difficult to be a Muslim in the U.S. since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Most also believe that the government “singles out” Muslims for increased surveillance and monitoring.
• Relatively few Muslim Americans believe the U.S.-led war on terror is a sincere effort to reduce terrorism, and many doubt that Arabs were responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Just 40% of Muslim Americans say groups of Arabs carried out those attacks.

The July 7 terrorist bombings in London drew considerable public attention and raised fears of another attack in the United States, but these concerns do not translate into less favorable opinions of either Muslim-Americans or Islam. And compared with 2003, fewer now say that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence.

The latest nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, conducted among 2,000 adults between July 7, the day of the first terrorist attacks in London, and July 17, finds a majority of Americans (55%) saying they have a favorable opinion of Muslim-Americans. That is roughly the same proportion that expressed positive opinions of Muslim-Americans in Pew surveys conducted in July 2003 and March 2002, and significantly higher than the 45% holding favorable views in March 2001, prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Most striking in the wake of the terrorist attacks in London is that the number of Americans saying that Islam is more likely than other religions to encourage violence has fallen significantly to 36% in the current survey from 44% two years ago.

U.S. attitudes toward Islam as a religion remain generally less positive than opinions about Muslim- Americans, with 39% of the public registering a favorable view of Islam, compared with 36% holding an unfavorable view. A quarter of those polled (25%) offered no opinion. These numbers are little changed from earlier surveys. In addition, most Americans (59%) say they believe Islam to be very different from their own religion, though the number seeing much in common between Islam and their religion has risen slightly from 22% in 2003 to 27% today.

Islam and Violence

About a third of Americans (36%) say the Islamic religion is more likely to encourage violence among its followers, down from 44% two years ago. Among religious groups, the decline has been most pronounced among white mainline Protestants (22 points) and seculars (12 points).¹

By contrast, views of whether Islam is more likely to promote violence are largely unchanged among white evangelical Protestants and white Catholics. About half of white evangelicals (49%) say the Islamic religion is more likely than others to encourage violence, while 31% disagree. White Catholics are split over this issue; 42% believe Islam is more likely to promote violence, while 43% say it does not encourage violence more than other religions.

Among political groups, there have been large declines in the numbers of conservative and moderate Democrats, and conservative Republicans, who say that Islam is more likely than other religions to promote violence. But there continues to be a wide political divide on this question. About twice as many conservative Republicans as liberal Democrats say Islam is more apt than other religions to encourage violence (49% vs. 25%).

Religion and Global Conflict

In broad terms, the public continues to believe that religion has at least a fair amount to do with causing wars and other conflicts in the world. Three-quarters say religion has a great deal (40%) or a fair amount (35%) to do with most wars and conflicts in the world. These attitudes are essentially unchanged from 2003, when 79% said religion had at least a fair amount of responsibility for causing most global wars and conflicts.

A smaller majority of Americans (65%) also see religion as having a role in causing political conflict in the U.S. There are few major differences among religious groups in their perceptions of religion’s role in causing political conflict in this country. Comparable numbers of white evangelical Protestants (62%) and seculars (66%) say that religion plays at least a fairly significant role in causing conflict in U.S. politics.

However, the public continues to decisively reject the idea that the terrorist attacks of recent years are part of a major conflict between the people of America and Europe on the one hand, and Islamic people on the other.

By about two-to-one (60%-29%), Americans say recent terrorist attacks represent only a conflict with a small radical group rather than a major clash between the West and Islam. But many of those who view it as a limited conflict think it will grow into a major world conflict (26% of the general public).

If anything, the belief that terrorism is part of a major conflict between the peoples of the West and Islam has declined a bit since 2002. Currently, about three-in-ten (29%) hold this view, down from 35% in August 2002. The balance of opinion on this measure held steady through the field period (see “Tempered Public Reaction to London Attacks,” July 11).

Opinions of Islam

As in past surveys, the public is divided in its opinion of Islam (39% favorable/36% unfavorable). There are substantial differences in attitudes toward Islam among religious groups, with white evangelical Protestants least likely to hold a favorable opinion (26%). Among high commitment evangelicals ­ those who attend church at least weekly and who say that religion is very important in their lives ­ just 21% express a favorable view of Islam.

Other religious groups take a more positive view of Islam. Identical percentages of seculars, white Catholics and mainline Protestants (42% each) express favorable opinions of Islam.

Age and education also are major factors in opinions of Islam. More than four-in-ten of those under age 50 (43%) hold favorable opinions of the Muslim faith, compared with a quarter of those ages 65 and older. Over half (53%) of people with a four-year college degree have a favorable opinion of Islam; by contrast, just 28% of those who have a high school education or less feel this way.

A plurality of Republicans (46%) express an unfavorable view of Islam; Democrats, on balance, have a favorable impression (47%). A small plurality of independents (42%) express favorable opinions of Islam.

Half Are Familiar With Islam Facts

About half of Americans were able to identify the Koran as the Islamic equivalent of the Bible (51%). That represents a modest increase from past years, when about four-in-ten knew this (42% in 2003). Similarly, about half (48%) correctly identified Allah as the name Muslims use to refer to God, no change from past surveys.

A substantial gender gap exists in knowledge of Islam, with men (57% of whom can identify Allah and 58% of whom can identify the Koran) much more knowledgeable than women (among whom only 40% can identify Allah and only 44% can identify the Koran).

Americans between the ages of 30 and 64 are more informed about Islam than are their younger counterparts and are dramatically more knowledgeable than are Americans older than 65. Interestingly, the percentage of young people (between 18 and 29) who are able to correctly identify Allah has actually declined (from 56% to 49%) since 2002.

As expected, those with higher levels of education show substantially greater familiarity with basic Islamic facts. Two-thirds (67%) of college graduates could correctly identify Allah as the name by which Muslims refer to God compared with just a third (33%) of those with a high school education or less.

Despite the intensive coverage of the religion in recent years, most Americans continue to say they do not know very much about the Muslim religion. Only 33% of the public claims to know “some” or “a great deal” about Islam, a level of self-professed knowledge very similar to that observed i
n 2002 and 2003.

Most Aware, Most Favorable

Those who are most knowledgeable about the basic facts of the Islamic religion continue to express more favorable opinions of Muslim-Americans and Islam than do those who are less familiar with the religion.

Among those most knowledgeable about Islam (as evidenced by their ability to identify both Allah and the Koran correctly), about six-in-ten (61%) view Muslim-Americans favorably while almost half (49%) hold a favorable view of Islam. These favorability ratings compare, respectively, with 47% and 24% among the lowest knowledge group.

The better informed are also more likely than others to think that Islam and their own religion have a lot in common (44% compared with 28% of those with moderate knowledge and only 12% among the least informed group), and are more likely to indicate that Islam does not encourage violence more than do other religions (59% take this view compared with 46% and 38% of those with moderate and low knowledge, respectively).

People most knowledgeable about Islam are also more likely to see recent terrorist attacks as part of a conflict with a small, radical group rather than as part of a major conflict between Westerners and Muslims.

Stable Views of Muslim-Americans

The public has a more favorable view of Muslim-Americans than of the Islamic religion, though the pattern of opinion is similar. Majorities in most major demographic groups have positive impressions of Muslim-Americans; some notable exceptions are people with a high school degree or less (44%), political conservatives (44%) and those ages 65 and older (40%). In no group do unfavorable opinions outnumber favorable ones.

Among religious groups, favorable attitudes toward Muslim-Americans are most prevalent among white Catholics (61%). Roughly half of white evangelical Protestants (53%), mainline Protestants (53%), and seculars (49%) express favorable opinions of Muslim-Americans.

Opinions of Other Religious Groups

The public continues to express overwhelmingly favorable opinions of Jews (77% favorable) and Catholics (73%). About six-in-ten (57%) express positive opinions of evangelical Christians, about the same number who have a favorable view of Muslim-Americans.

By comparison, just 35% express favorable opinions of atheists; 50% have a negative opinion of atheists. These opinions have been quite stable in recent years.

U.S. Views of Muslims Similar to Europe’s

In a Pew Global Attitudes Project survey conducted earlier this year (May 18-22), 57% of the American public had a positive view of Muslims (as opposed to Muslim-Americans). That placed U.S. opinion of Muslims in the middle range of attitudes expressed in most European countries and Canada.

The 17-nation Pew Global Attitudes Project survey, which was released earlier this month, found that majorities ranging from 72% in Great Britain and 64% in France to 60% in Canada and 55% in Russia say they have somewhat or very favorable views of Muslims, along with 46% pluralities in both Spain and Poland. Among European countries, only in the Netherlands and Germany are unfavorable views more prevalent than favorable. (See “Islamic Extremism: Common Concern for Muslim and Western Publics,” July 14).

The vote in Iraq indicates that support for democracy in the Muslim world observed in surveys is genuine and holds up under challenging conditions. Pew Global Attitudes Project surveys conducted in 2002 and 2003 found receptiveness to democracy in nearly all of the 17 Muslim populations in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa covered by the polls.

Relatively few Muslims said that “democracy is a Western way of doing things that would not work here.” Instead, most of the Muslim publics surveyed felt that democracy can work in their country. In addition, they clearly favor democratic government over “a leader with a strong hand.” In two Muslim countries — Lebanon and Turkey — the number preferring democracy over a strong leader is about the same as in the U.S. (63% U.S., 63% Lebanon, and 57% Turkey).

Muslim publics attach considerable importance to specific democratic principles, especially the freedom to criticize the government. Honest multi-party elections, a fair-handed judiciary and a press free to report without government censorship also are valued, especially in Turkey and Lebanon. There is less enthusiasm for these ideals in Pakistan, Indonesia and Jordan though, even in these countries, majorities view honest elections and freedom of the press as at least somewhat important. Yet throughout the Muslim world, with few exceptions, most people feel that their nations are lacking in these freedoms.

Polls taken in Iraq prior to the election by the U.S.-funded International Republican Institute (IRI) also found broad support for democracy. While Iraqis rated security and economic concerns as far more pressing issues than the coming election — priorities that, as Pew polls confirm, are shared throughout the developing world — about two-thirds of those polled in late December and early January said they were “very likely” to vote on Jan. 30. Moreover, in an IRI poll last summer 82% strongly agreed that a new constitution should guarantee the basic rights of all Iraqis.

Yet while Muslims are generally receptive to democracy and supportive of basic freedoms, they also believe that Islam should have a prominent role in politics. Pew surveys found majorities of Muslims in nine of the 14 countries surveyed favored a “very large” or “fairly large” role for Islam in political life. In Pakistan, 86% of Muslim respondents expressed that view, as did large majorities of Muslims in Indonesia (82%) and Jordan (73%). In Turkey, however, far fewer Muslims (41%) think that Islam should play a major role in the nation’s political life.

Nonetheless, Muslims generally are no less supportive of keeping religion separate from government policy than are people in other countries. Indeed, in predominantly Muslim countries with secular traditions, such as Turkey, Senegal and Mali, roughly seven-in-ten respondents completely agreed that religion should be kept separate from government policy. In the U.S., significantly fewer (55%) expressed that view.

Other surveys have shown that Muslims take a nuanced view of religion and politics. Shibley Telhami, a professor at the University of Maryland, polled in six predominantly Muslim countries last June — including Egypt and Saudi Arabia — and found that while most respondents favored a stronger role for the clergy in politics, few expressed admiration for religious leaders. Telhami attributed this finding to a widespread perception in the Arab world that the cleric-controlled government in Iran has been a failure.

IRI polls found similar sentiments among Iraqis. While the edict issued by Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani calling participation in the election a “religious duty” no doubt influenced the heavy turnout in Shiite dominated areas, only 33% of respondents in a November-December 2004 poll said they would follow all decrees issued by clerics concerning the election. In a December-January poll, 51% of Iraqis agreed that “religion and government should respect one another by not impeding on the rights, roles and responsibilities of the other,” while 42% said that “religion has a special role to play in the government.” Only 28% favored having religious leaders elected to public office. Support for separation of the two was strongest in Baghdad, in Kurdish areas and in other Sunni areas.

A new analysis of Pew survey data shows that the confidence in democratic potential throughout the Muslim world extends across age and gender groups. Indonesia is the only predominantly Muslim country in which there is a significant age difference in these opinions, with more respondents under age 40 than older people expressing the view that democracy can work there (44% vs. 34% of those age 40 and older). There also are few gender differences, with the exception of Pakistan where a higher percentage of men than women feel democracy can work (63% vs. 51%).

There is no evidence, however, that support for democracy will necessarily do much to diminish the extensive anti-Americanism throughout the Muslim world. In Pakistan, those who strongly support democratic values (based on responses to questions about the importance of an independent judiciary, religious and press freedom, honest, competitive elections and civilian control of the military) are just as hostile to the United States as those who place little or no importance on such values.

Nearly two-thirds of Pakistanis (65%) who strongly support democratic principles express a very unfavorable view of the United States; that compares with 59% of those who express moderate support for those principles and 54% of those who attach little importance to democratic ideals. This pattern is evident in Turkey and Indonesia as well. In Jordan, however, strong supporters of democratic principles do have a much more favorable impression of the United States than those who are less supportive of those ideals. Roughly six-in-ten Jordanians who strongly support democratic ideals have a favorable view of the United States; that compares with just 14% who attach little or no importance to democratic values.

In general, as Pew surveys and others have shown, anti-American sentiment has surged in recent years among Muslim populations. A March 2004 Pew survey found, for example, that 70% of Jordanians and 66% of Moroccans believe that suicide bombings of Americans and other Westerners in Iraq are justifiable. Even in Turkey and Pakistan, two U.S. allies, 31% and 46%, respectively, shared this view.

Still, the example of the successful election in Iraq, as well as that recently held by the Palestinian Authority may well strengthen sentiments in favor of more democratic forms of government in the Muslim world. Whether Iraq will prove a compelling model for melding Islam and representative government will depend crucially on what happens next. As the interim government struggles to quell violence, create jobs and restore public utilities and institutions, Iraq’s newly elected National Assembly faces a fast deadline for drafting a new constitution to be submitted to national plebiscite by Oct. 15, 2005. “Constitutions are rarely written during calm times,” observes Nathan J. Brown, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, in a new report. But, adds Brown, the author of four books on Arab politics, “it is difficult to think of more difficult circumstances for deliberating over basic matters of governance, politics and identity.”

For further information contact: Jodie Allen, Senior Editor

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is a series of worldwide public opinion surveys. The project has issued two major reports, “What the World Thinks in 2002″ — based upon 38,000 interviews in 44 nations — and “Views of a Changing World, June 2003″ — based on an additional 16,000 interviews in 20 nations and the Palestinian Authority. The project also conducted a nine-nation poll in March 2004. Surveys were conducted by local organizations under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. Full details about the surveys, and the project more generally, are available at www.pewglobal.org.

The Sept. 11 attacks have increased the prominence of religion in the United States to an extraordinary degree, but not at the expense of acceptance of religious minorities. Fully 78% now say religion’s influence in American life is growing ­ up from 37% eight months ago and the highest mark on this measure in surveys dating back four decades. At the same time, the public has a better opinion of Muslim-Americans than it did before the attacks. Favorable views of Muslim-Americans have risen from 45% in March to 59% today, even though 40% of the public think the terrorists were motivated at least in part by religion when they carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

The survey finds clear evidence that Americans are heeding President Bush’s call for tolerance toward Muslims, and the president’s own core constituents ­ conservative Republicans ­ have shown by far the biggest turnaround. Nearly two-thirds of conservative Republicans (64%) feel favorably toward Muslims in this country, up 29 percentage points since March.

Despite the improving image of Muslim-Americans, few Americans know much about the Muslim faith and even fewer feel their religion has much in common with Islam. Roughly four-in-ten (38%) say they know something about the Muslim religion and its practices, while 31% see common ground between their own religion and Islam. And while a 49% plurality believes that the terrorists who attacked the United States were motivated primarily by their political beliefs, 30% see mainly religious motives behind the attacks and another 10% see a combination of religious and political factors.

The nationwide survey of 1,500 adults by the Pew Research Center, in collaboration with the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, finds broad agreement among all demographic and religious groups that religion now occupies a more important place in American life. Yet this dramatic shift has not been matched by an increase in attendance at religious services ­ nor is there much evidence that religion is playing a larger role in Americans’ personal lives at this time. Attendance stands at the same level as it did in March. More important, the number of Americans who say religion is very important to them personally stands at 61%, virtually the same level as eight months ago.

The survey also asked whether people agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “Some religious leaders have said that the terrorist attacks on the United States signal that God is no longer protecting the United States as much as in the past.” Members of all religions reject this idea. White evangelical Protestants are only somewhat less dismissive of this idea than are others — 63% in this group totally disagree, compared with 73% of the general public.

The public remains solidly behind U.S. military action in Afghanistan and the survey finds that the current war effort taps about as much potential moral support for war as exists among the public. Asked whether war is sometimes or never morally justified, 83% choose the former, which mirrors current support for military action against terrorism (85%). When asked an alternative version of the question, fewer (64%) say war is often morally justified. There is somewhat greater division over how the United States conducts military operations. More Americans (56%) say they worry that the United States doesn’t push hard enough to achieve victory than express concern that the U.S. does too little to avoid civilian casualties (25%).

Religion’s Influence Seen as Growing

The nearly eight-in-ten who see religion gaining influence in American life surpasses measures on this question dating back at least four decades. This figure has not been approached since 1957 when, in a Gallup survey, 69% said the influence of religion was increasing. Since then, the number who said religion was growing in importance has never exceeded 45%.

The change in opinion since March has been striking ­ in most demographic groups, the number of people who say that religion’s influence is growing has doubled. But while solid majorities of all groups now see religion growing in influence, there is a modest gender gap ­ 83% of women say religion is becoming more important, compared with 70% of men.

Despite the public’s overwhelming belief that religion has become more important for the nation, there is little evidence that many Americans who were not actively religious prior to the attacks have turned to religion in the wake of the crisis. Attendance at religious services is comparable to March levels ­ in both surveys roughly four-in-ten say they attend church once a week or more, a third say they attend less frequently, and a quarter report seldom or never attending religious services. About six-in-ten (61%) currently say religion plays a very important role in their lives, virtually unchanged from the 64% who said that in March.

Still, many people say that since the terror attacks they have become more actively religious, especially when it comes to prayer. Better than four-in-ten (44%) say they are praying more, although that represents a significant decline from 69% who reported praying more in the Pew Research Center survey conducted just after the attacks (Sept. 13-17). And 16% say they are attending religious services more now than prior to the attacks.

This apparent contradiction between long-term measures of religious observance, which have been remarkably stable, and the self-reported rise in activity since Sept. 11 is explained with closer examination of those Americans who are praying more and attending religious services more often. The evidence suggests that it is largely those already highly religious who are saying that they have increased their religious activity even further.

Of those who say religion is very important in their lives, 56% are praying more since the attacks, compared with 35% of those who say religion is only fairly important, and just 10% of those who say religion is not very important to them. And while 21% of those who are highly religious say they are attending church more, just 3% of those for whom religion is not very important say the same.

The events of Sept. 11 also have had an impact on how Americans view family life. Nearly four-in-ten (37%) say they are trying to spend more time with family this holiday season as a result of the attacks ­ and better than half (54%) of parents say they are making more of an effort to spend time with their children. More women than men stress an effort to spend extra time with family (41%-33%), and mothers are more likely than fathers to say they are trying harder to spend time with their children (59%-47%).