How Do Americans View Evangelicals, Muslims, Atheists — and Other Major Religious Groups?

How favorably do Americans view religion? Well, it varies depending on which faith system is under consideration, according to newly released research.

Survey results from the Pew Research Center found that, while Jews, Catholics and evangelicals enjoy high levels of support among U.S. citizens, the public sees atheists and Muslims less favorably.

Respondents were asked to rate each religious group on a scale — referred to as a "feeling thermometer" — from 0 to 100, with 0 reflecting an extremely negative view and 100 indicating an overtly positive one.

In the end, three groups averaged above the 60 mark, with Jews coming in 63, Catholics at 62 and evangelicals at 61.

In contrast, Muslims held an average rating of 40 and atheists fared not much better with 41. Mormons, with an average of 48 and Buddhists, with an average of 53, fared somewhat better.

Image source: Pew Research Center

Read the complete results here, including differences between how Republican and Democratic-leaning respondents view each religious group.

These ratings came from a Pew Research Center poll conducted among 3,217 adults from May 30-June 30, 2014; the survey had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.

(H/T: Pew Research Center)

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