A just-released survey by Education Next finds that “Americans May Be More Tolerant of Muslims than Ever.”
An article in the Wall Street Journal by Paul E. Peterson explains that a representative sample of Americans were asked “Do you support or oppose allowing a group of Muslim students to organize an after-school club at your local public school?”
Despite the increased opposition to religious student clubs in general, support for Muslim students looking to form clubs has risen dramatically. In 2008, only 27% of respondents were in favor, while 23% were opposed. Today, tolerance of Muslim clubs has climbed steeply, to 45%—a near-majority of all respondents—while opposition has ticked up by only 4 percentage points, from 23% to 27%. What was once a near-even split in opinion has morphed into a 2-to-1 advantage for those who tolerate Muslim-themed student clubs.
For more information about the study, please read “The 2017 EdNext Poll on School Reform,” released on August 15, 2017.
— Education Next
