1615 L Street, N.W., Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 Tel (202) 419-4350 Fax (202) 419-4399 www.pewglobal.org EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2006, 2:00 PM EDT Few Signs of Backlash From Western Europeans MUSLIMS IN EUROPE: ECONOMIC WORRIES TOP CONCERNS ABOUT RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL IDENTITY 13-Nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Kohut, Director Jodie Allen, Senior Editor Richard Wike, Senior Project Director (202) 419-4350 www.pewglobal.orgFew Signs of Backlash From Western Europeans MUSLIMS IN EUROPE: ECONOMIC WORRIES TOP CONCERNS ABOUT RELIGIOUS AND CULTURAL IDENTITY Muslims in Europe worry about their future, but their concern is more economic than religious or cultural. And while there are some signs of tension between Europe’s majority populations and its Muslim minorities, Muslims there do not generally believe that most Europeans are hostile toward people of their faith. Still, over a third of Muslims in France and one-in-four in Spain say they have had a bad experience as a result of their religion or ethnicity. However, there is little evidence of a widespread backlash against Muslim immigrants among the general publics in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. Majorities continue to express concerns about rising Islamic identity and extremism, but those worries have not intensified in most of the countries surveyed over the past 12 months; a turbulent period that included the London subway bombings, the French riots, and the Danish cartoon controversy. Muslims More Concerned About UnemploymentThan Religious and Cultural Issues ------- Muslims in ------- Great Britain FranceGer-many Spain % very worried about… % % % % Unemployment 46 52 56 55 Islamic extremism 44 30 23 22 Decline of religion 45 21 18 18 Influence of pop culture 44 17 18 17 Modern roles for women 22 16 9 10 No Evidence of Backlash Against Muslim Immigrants Immigration from Middle East and North Africa is a… Good thingBad thing DKGeneral public in… % % % Spain 62 33 5 May, 2005 67 26 7 France 58 41 1 May, 2005 53 45 2 Nov, 2002 44 53 3 Great Britain 57 32 11 May, 2005 61 30 10 Nov, 2002 53 40 7 Germany 34 59 7 May, 2005 34 57 9 Nov, 2002 33 59 8 Opinions held by Muslims in Europe – as well as opinions about Muslims among Europe’s majority populations – vary significantly by country. No clear European point of view emerges with regard to the Muslim experience, either among Muslims or in the majority populations on many issues. Most notably, France shows no signs of a backlash in response to last year’s riots. In fact, a counter trend seems to have emerged with slightly more French people saying that immigration from the Middle East and North Africa is a good thing than did so a year ago. The French public is also more inclined this year to say that Muslims living in France want to adopt French customs – a view held by anoverwhelming majority of Muslims in France. Nor do German and British publics express any increase in negative views of immigrants – although, unlike the French, they are not more positive toward immigrants this year. Meanwhile, the Spanish public’s view toward immigrants has grown slightly more negative over the last year. But in Britain worries about Islamic extremism are intense among both the general public and the Muslim minority population as well. Concerns about the problem rose markedly this year among the general public. And worries about extremism within the British Muslim community are greater than in France, Germany, and Spain. The survey by the Pew Global Attitudes Project was conducted in 13 countries, including the United States, from March 31-May 14, 2006.1 It includes special oversamples of Muslim minorities living in Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain. The poll finds that Muslims themselves are generally positive about conditions in their host nation. In fact, they are more positive than the general publics in all four European countries about the way things are going in their countries. However, many Muslims, especially in Britain, worry about the future of uslims in their country. s the greatest level of concern bout the issues tested. M The greatest concern among Muslim minorities in all four countries is unemployment. Islamic extremism emerges as the number-two worry generally, a concern shared by Western publics as well as Muslims in Egypt, Jordan, and Pakistan. The decline in the importance of religion, adoption of modern roles by women, and influences of popular culture upon youth are generally lower-ranked concerns. Overall, British Muslims expresa 1 The principal countries surveyed for this report were Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Turkey, Nigeria, India, Russia, and the United States, with most of the findings coming from the four western European countries. In addition, a few findings are presented from China and Japan. Experiences of Muslims inM ? exp ce? Y Europe Europeans hostile to uslimsHad a bad personal erien es* YesMuslims in… itain y Europeans are hostile toward Muslims. % % Germany 51 19 Great Br 42 28 France 39 37 Spain 31 25 *% saying most or man432123264335404232343530SpainGermanyFranceGreat BritainFranceSpainGermanyGreat Britain2005 2006Muslims in…General public in…Very Concerned About Islamic Extremism in Your Country? 2The majority of European Muslims do not see many or most Europeans as hostile towards Muslims. But substantial numbers of Muslims do perceive such hostility. This belief is most widespread in Germany, where more than half of both Muslims and the general public see many or most Germans as hostile toward Muslims. At the same time, however, German Muslims are the least likely to report personal experiences with discrimination. ut this). German Muslims are also far more inclined than those elsewhere in Europe to see new immigrants as wanting to be distinct – 52% take this view – and German nationals overwhelmingly (76%) share this view. In contrast, in France, 78% of Muslims say that Muslims there want to adopt French customs, though 53% of the general public feels that French Muslims want to remain distinct. European Muslims show signs of favoring a moderate version of Islam. With the exception of Spanish Muslims, they tend to see