August 31, 2006

Abstract: - Many British adults express concerns about Islam, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 53 per cent of respondents believe Islam, as distinct from fundamentalist Islamic groups, poses a major or some threat to Western liberal democracy.

- Many British adults express concerns about Islam, according to a poll by YouGov published in the Daily Telegraph. 53 per cent of respondents believe Islam, as distinct from fundamentalist Islamic groups, poses a major or some threat to Western liberal democracy.

On Oct. 17, 2001, United States president George W. Bush declared that the war on terrorism was "not a war on Islam." The same sentiment has been echoed by British prime minister Tony Blair.

On Jul. 7, 2005, four blasts in London killed at least 53 people and injured 700 more. Investigators say three British nationals of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican-born man were responsible for the explosions at three underground stations and a double-decker bus. Authorities believe the event was a coordinated suicide bombing, the first to ever occur in Western Europe.

On Aug. 1, Blair discussed his views on Islam, saying, "Convincing our own opinion of the nature of the battle is hard enough. But we then have to empower moderate, mainstream Islam to defeat reactionary Islam. And because so much focus is now, worldwide on this issue, it is becoming itself a kind of surrogate for all the other issues the rest of the world has with the West. In other words, fail on this and across the range, everything gets harder."

According to the 2001 population census, more than 1.5 million Muslims live in England and Wales.

Polling Data

Do you feel that Islam—as distinct from fundamentalist Islamic groups—poses a threat to Western liberal democracy?

	2006	2005
Yes, Islam does pose a major, some threat	53%	46%
No, Islam poses only a small, no threat	34%	47%
Don't know	12%	7%

Source: YouGov / Daily Telegraph
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,757 British adults, conducted from Aug. 22 to Aug. 24, 2006. No margin of error was provided.

Complete Poll (PDF)

Archive Search

Over 18,700 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.

Advanced Search

Newsletter

Join our Mailing List