Poll of 1,000 Muslims in Britain for BBC Radio 4 Today
- More than two in five (46%) feel that being a Muslim in Britain is difficult due to prejudice against Islam.
- Almost all Muslims living in Britain feel a loyalty to the country (95%). Just 6% say they feel a disloyalty.
- Nine in ten (93%) British Muslims believe that Muslims in Britain should always obey British laws.
- One in four (27%) British Muslims say they have some sympathy for the motives behind the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
- However, two thirds (68%) say acts of violence against those who publish images of the Prophet can never be justified while a quarter (24%) disagree.
- Muslim women are more likely than men to feel unsafe in Britain.
- One in nine (11%) British Muslims feel sympathetic towards people who want to fight against western interests while 85% do not.
- Half (49%) believe Muslim clerics preaching that violence against the west can be justified are out of touch with mainstream Muslim opinion, while 45% disagree.
Date Published: 25th February 2015
Categories: Faith | Media | Public and communities | Social | UK
Client: BBC Radio 4 Today
Methodology
ComRes interviewed 1,000 Muslims living in Britain aged 18+ by telephone between 26th January and 20th
February. Data were weighted to be representative of the known population.
Sample was drawn from two sources, as outlined below:
- National Random Digit Dialing (RDD) Surveys: A database collected from national, RDD surveys where respondents identified as being Muslim who were happy to be re-contacted for research.
- Super Output Areas: RDD sample was drawn based on the Office for National Statistics’ Output Areas – the statistical regions created by the Office for National Statistics that are the lowest geographical level at which census estimates are provided – in order to determine the Middle Layer Super Output Areas that have the highest density and incidence of BME adults (18+).