Survey Respondents: The Right to Build Mosques Near Ground Zero Doesn't Mean You Should
Americans don’t think the controversial Islamic Cultural Center and mosque should be built near Ground Zero – but their opinions, as measured by the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, are more complicated than just wanting to stop the project.
58% believe that the mosque should not be built close to Ground Zero. Just 18% support its construction. 41% of Democrats also oppose its construction, while 28% support it. Liberals are the only group in favor: they support the mosque’s construction 45% to 34%.
However, Americans agree – by 50% to 33% – that Muslims have the Constitutional right to build a mosque in that location.
Not everyone reads the Constitution the same way, however. 53% of Republicans say Muslims do not have that Constitutional right (32% of Republicans say they do). And those opposed to the mosque’s construction also think – by 50% to 37% – that no Constitutional right exists.
But those opposed to the mosque’s construction – when told that the Constitution’s First Amendment provision of Freedom of Religion may mean there is no legal way to prevent its construction – don’t want to change the Constitution. Just 19% of those opposed to the mosque would change the Constitution to prevent its construction. 66% would not.
A majority of Americans agree with the statement that Muslims should be able to build mosques anywhere in the country that other religions can construct houses of worship. A third say there are places that are not appropriate for a mosque. 14%, however, believe mosques should not be permitted anywhere in the country.
Those with only a high school education are twice as likely as those with a college degree to want to outlaw the construction of mosques. 20% of Republicans would not permit the construction of any mosques.
Many Americans admit to knowing little about Islam. Just 12% claim to know a great deal about it, and another 42% say they know something. But nearly half admit to knowing little or nothing about the religion.
Awareness and knowledge have relatively little impact on attitudes about Islam or the construction of the mosque in lower Manhattan. Overall, Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam, and those opinions have changed little since last year. Just 20% have a favorable opinion of Islam, while 56% are unfavorable.
Changing the Constitution: Immigration
Although relatively few Americans want to change the Constitution if it would prevent the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in Manhattan, there is more – but not majority – support for making a change to the Fourteenth Amendment to ensure that children born to people in the United States illegally do not automatically become U.S. citizens.
In the latest Economist/YouGov Poll, 47% favor changing the Constitution to prevent children born to illegal immigrants from becoming citizens. 41% oppose the change.
There is overwhelming support for the change among Republicans, two-thirds of whom favor changing the Constitution to do this. There is opposition from Hispanics: 55% oppose such a move. 53% of Democrats oppose it, too. Independents support a change 48% to 42%. Although a plurality in all regions favor amending the Constitution, in no region is there majority support.
There are large partisan differences on the question of illegal immigration and its impact on children born within U.S. borders. There are even partisan differences on what people know about current law. Americans agree 55% to 25% that children born in the U.S. are considered to be citizens, although Republicans are evenly divided on this, 41% to 40%.
By a smaller margin 45% to 35%, Americans think children born within American borders should be considered U.S. citizens. On this, Democrats agree by three to one. Republicans disagree by more than two to one, and independents divide 47% yes and 37% no. Among the regions, the Northeast shows the greatest agreement on this, the West the least.
Once illegal immigrants are mentioned, things change. By 56% to 38%, Americans say children born to those in the country illegally should not be considered U.S. citizens. More than half of Democrats, liberals, those under age 30, African-Americans and Hispanics think they should.
Americans recognize that Mexican-Americans face discrimination. 64% say Mexican-Americans face a great deal or a fair amount of discrimination against them. That’s more than say that about African-Americans or Asian-Americans. 72% think Arab-Americans face at least a fair amount of discrimination here.
So far, no party has become the nation’s preferred party on the subject of immigration. 35% say the Republicans Party is closer to them on immigration; 33% choose the Democrats. A third don’t know or don’t see a difference.
The President's Problems
In the last week opinions about the state of the economy have grown worse. 61% now say the country is headed off on the wrong track, up five points from just last week. 43% think the economy is getting worse, also up five points in a week.
And in the latest Economist/YouGov poll, Americans don’t see much improvement on what they continue to see as the country’s most important problem: the economy and jobs. Only 16% think there will be more jobs in six months, nine points fewer than thought so six months ago. 37% expect the number of jobs will actually decrease, up ten points since February.
Just 35% of Americans approve of how President Obama is handling the economy, only one point above his all-time low on this issue. 59% disapprove. In February, the President’s economic approval rating was eight points higher, at 43%.
And when it comes to support for President Obama overall, the numbers remain low. Just 43% approve of the way he is handling his job overall, one point higher than his all-time low in this poll, recorded in June. 52% disapprove.
Independents, critical in any election, give the President only a 32% approval rating. Two in three independents disapprove of how he is handling his job.
And Americans seem increasingly skeptical of what the President says. 56%, the highest figure ever in this poll, think he mostly says what people want to hear – not what he really believes.
Those perceptions can create problems heading into the fall campaign. And the Democratic-controlled Congress’s approval rating of 11% doesn’t help. In this week’s poll, 45% of registered voters choose or are leaning towards the Republicans in the fall contest for U.S. House of Representatives. 45% choose the Democrats.
Steven Slater, American Hero?
He’s not a hero to everyone, but Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who quit his job by sliding down an evacuation chute at New York’s Kennedy Airport, does get some sympathy from a closely divided public. 52% of those who know about the incident say they have at least some sympathy for him, though 49% have little or none.
Young Americans are particularly sympathetic.
There is support among the flying public for flight attendants in what can sometimes be a struggle with passengers. Asked who is more to blame for problems on airplane flights, just 3% say it’s mostly the flight attendants. 59% put the blame mostly on passengers.
Nearly nine in ten flyers give most flight attendants an excellent or good rating; 71% say that about their fellow passengers.
One important positive: there may not be too many others planning spectacular ways of saying “I Quit!” Unlike Slater, most American workers say they are happy with their jobs!
