Poll: Nearly 1/4 of Texans think Obama is Muslim

Nick Juliano Published: Thursday October 30, 2008
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Nearly one in four Texas voters erroneously believes Barack Obama is Muslim, according to a new poll.

The poll conducted this month by the University of Texas found that less than half the state's voters, a majority of whom support John McCain's candidacy, could correctly identify the religion of the Democratic presidential candidate. Obama has been a member of the same Christian church in Chicago for more than 20 years, and he faced controversy earlier this year when controversial statements from the church's former pastor appeared online.

When asked Obama's religion, 22.7 percent of the respondents said Muslim, while 45 percent correctly said Protestant.

The poll showed that Texans were far more willing to believe untruths about Obama than about Sarah Palin, the GOP's vice presidential nominee. Just under 3 percent said they believed the untrue rumor that Palin's youngest son, Trig, is actually her grandson.

Both rumors have circulated primarily online, although those focused on Obama have been around longer because he has been running for president longer.

The number of Texans who persist in their belief that Obama is a Muslim is nearly twice as high as the national average.

The finding worries the Dallas Morning News's Tod Robberson.

This is worrisome because it underscores how uninformed or misinformed people are about some of the easiest and most accessible facts about the presidential campaign. I mean, if voters can't even get his religion right, how in the world are they going to understand his position on more complex issues like health care, taxes, Iraq or urban policy?

They won't. They won't even attempt to understand it or read more so they'll be better informed. This is an indication of how lazy people are. Or, more accurately, how lazy nearly one-quarter of Texans are.