CAIR Survey Shows Almost Half of Muslim Voters Disapprove of President Biden’s Job Performance, Hold Diverse Opinions on Key Political Issues

Survey also shows 84% of Muslim voters view Republican Party as ‘unfriendly’ to Muslims

(WASHINGTON D.C., 7/6/2022) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released the findings of its midterm election survey of American Muslims, which polled Muslim voters regarding their views on abortion, gun control, the economy, the upcoming midterm elections, and President Biden’s job performance, among other issues.

The results of the survey indicate that some 49 percent of Muslims disapprove of President Biden’s performance while only 28% approve. At the same time, 59% plan to vote for Democratic congressional candidates in the midterm elections.

In a statement, CAIR Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:

“As our survey reveals, American Muslims are a diverse and politically active community that holds unique views on the key political issues of our time, including abortion, gun control, religious freedom, international human rights and other major issues. President Biden and other elected officials should take concrete actions to address these and other pressing issues of concern to American Muslims and many other Americans.”

In a news conference earlier today, CAIR leaders presented and discussed the results of the survey. Some of the survey’s key findings included:

• Looking ahead to the November midterm election, 91.2% of respondents stated that they are likely to vote.

• Most Muslim respondents report that they plan to support the Democratic Party (59.2%) over the Republican Party (10.5%) in their state’s November election. 9.1% report they plan to vote “Independent or not a member of a party” and 15.1% were “unsure” which political party they plan to vote for in November.

• The majority of Muslim respondents (49%) report “disapprov[ing] of President Joe Biden’s performance” compared to the 28% that “approve” of his performance.

• The majority of Muslim respondents (78%) also report “disapprov[ing] of Congress’ performance” compared to the 7.8% that “approve” of its performance.

• The majority of Muslim respondents (66.9%) report that they want “Democrats to win control of Congress in the November Mid-term election” compared to the 11.4% that want Republicans to win control of Congress.

• Examining how Muslim respondents report their plans to be civically engaged or participate in election activities, the top three planned actions included:

1. Donating to a political or social campaign (35.8%)
2. Volunteering with a local charity or civic minded religious organizations (35.4%)
3. Attending a candidate forum (23.8%)

• When questioned about the Democratic Party’s perceived friendliness, neutrality or unfriendliness toward Muslims, nearly the same number of respondents view the Democratic Party as being “Friendly” (40.6%) as “Neutral” (43.1%).

• When questioned about the Republican Party’s perceived friendliness, neutrality or unfriendliness toward Muslims, majority of respondents view the Republican Party as being “Unfriendly” (84.4%) compared to those who view it as “Neutral” (12.8%).

• Most Muslim respondents report being “Moderate” (38.5%) on social issues while almost the same number of Muslims report being “Liberal” (28%) and “Conservative” (28.4%). Most Muslim respondents report being “Fiscally Conservative” (42.2%) followed by 38.3% being “Fiscally Liberal.”

• The top five important domestic issues Muslim respondents report being concerned with during the 2022 mid-term election cycle include: gun violence (75.6%), civil rights (71.1%), economy (70.5%), healthcare access (66.5%), and religious freedom (65.5%).

• The top five important Muslim-related, foreign policy issues Muslim respondents report being concerned with during the 2022 mid-term election cycle include: Israeli occupation of Palestine (90.5%), Chinese genocide of Uyghur Muslims (87.4%), oppression of Muslims in India (80.8%), Burma genocide of Rohingya Muslims (75.8%), and starvation in Afghanistan (67.4%).

• Muslim respondents report being equally divided in their opinions on how state laws should regulate abortion after the end of Roe v. Wade. 15% support limiting abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, 13% support a limit after 15 weeks, and 13% support a limit after 6 weeks, all with an exception for medical emergencies, while 7% support a total prohibition on abortion at any stage and 14% support allowing abortion at any state.

• By gender, Muslim women were more likely to support permissive state laws on abortion than men, while Black and African-American Muslims were more likely to support stricter regulations on abortion than other racial groups.

• The majority of Muslim respondents (82.3%) “support a federal ban on semi-automatic rifles such as AR-15” while a minority (11.8%) report opposing such a ban.

• The majority Muslim respondents report (74.3%) support full or partial cancellation of all federal student loan debt.

• Most Muslim respondents report (40.2%) that they think Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment in the U.S has stayed the same since President Trump left office, while 32.6% of respondents report it has increased and 21.9% of respondents report it has decreased.

• The majority of respondents (67.6%, 355) report being involved in activities at the mosque or Islamic center.

READ THE FULL REPORT

“Most American Muslim voters are deeply concerned about gun violence, economy, healthcare, and religious freedom here at home,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw. “In terms of foreign policy, Muslim voters report high levels of concern about the

Israeli occupation of Palestinians, the Chinese genocide of Uyghur Muslims, and the oppression of Indian and Rohingya Muslims, among other issues.”

Last week, CAIR released the preview results on American Muslim opinions on gun control and abortion.

SEE: CAIR Survey Preview: American Muslims Overwhelmingly Support Ban on Assault-Style Rifles

CAIR Survey Finds American Muslims Hold Diverse, Divergent Views on Abortion Law After Roe v. Wade Reversal

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.

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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]