First Name:
Caitlin
Last Name:
Kannan
Major Department:
Government and Justice
Thesis Director:
Todd Hartman
Date of Thesis:
May 2012
The 9/11 terrorist attacks shocked the world and indelibly altered attitudes toward Muslims and Islam. Immediately following the attacks, suspicion toward Muslim individuals became widespread, catching the attention of many pollsters. Scholars began collecting data in order to observe poll trends regarding public opinion toward Muslims and Islam. In this study, I update research by Panagopoulos (2006), which covered a five-year period after the attacks, by examining polls conducted from 2001 to 2011, a full decade after 9/11. Throughout the course of my study, I found that anti-Muslim sentiment continues to persist, which is acknowledged by Americans of all ethnicities, including Muslim Americans.