Just how much do New Yorkers dislike the idea of a mosque/community center being located near Ground Zero? The good peeps at Marist decided to find out. Their latest poll put forth 2 questions to registered voters:
1) Do you favor or oppose the building of an Islamic community center and prayer space two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center?
2) What is your view on the issue? Does building an Islamic community center and prayer space two blocks from the site of the World Trade Center: a) Helps people better understand the teachings of Islam and the Muslim religion OR b) Offends the memory of the 9/11 victims and their families
Overall, voters oppose the mosque by a margin of 53-34, with 13 percent unsure. As for the second question, the responses are more or less in line with the first one, with half the voters feeling the project would offend the memory of 9/11 victims, and about a third saying it would actually improve our understanding of Islam. The poll had a margin of error of 4 points.
In terms of breakdown, Jews seemed most offended by the project (71 to 20), which makes me wonder if the Anti-Defamation League was responding to major pressure from within the community. Younger folks (under 45) are pretty much divided on the issue, whereas those over 45 oppose the project by 60-29. And the one borough where voters actually support the project is the one where’s it’s located –- Manhattan, by a margin of 53 to 31.
Arun Venugopal is a reporter and the creator of Micropolis, WNYC’s multi-platform series examining race, sexuality, religion, street life and other issues that define New York City. He has been with the station since 2005, and has covered a wide range of stories, including the death of Sean Bell, the controversy over the Park 51 mosque and community center and Occupy Wall Street .
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