Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks forced a national reckoning with radical Islam, a new survey suggests that Americans across the political spectrum share deep doubts about whether the religion fits within Western societies — including many on the Left who might be expected to embrace multicultural tolerance.
The survey, conducted by Ipsos for the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University, asked 1,067 adults about their views on Western and Islamic civilizations. The results, published by the Daily Wire, show that majorities on both the Right and the Left believe Islam is not compatible with the Western way of life.
Survey methodology and key findings
Researchers used a randomized experiment: Half of participants were asked whether “Western civilization has done more harm than good in world history,” while the other half received the identical statement but with the word “Western” replaced by “Islamic.” The results revealed a striking asymmetry.
While just 6% of respondents strongly agreed and 17% somewhat agreed that Western civilization has done more harm than good, the numbers jumped to 22% strongly agreeing and 22% somewhat agreeing when the statement referred to Islamic civilization. Replacing the word “Western” with “Islamic” increased total agreement by 21 percentage points.
The survey also measured broader attitudes toward the West, asking whether Western civilization bears responsibility for the world’s current problems, whether its core traditions are worth preserving, whether Western societies are a force for good in global affairs, and whether respondents feel attached to or value Western civilization. Overall, Americans came across as broadly pro-West: 67% said they value Western civilization’s achievements, versus just 4% who said they did not, and 50% said they felt attached to it, compared with 9% who did not.
Researchers combined these responses into a five-point “pro-West index” and cross-referenced it with answers to the Western-versus-Islamic question. The pattern was stark. Among those at the most pro-Western end of the index, the estimated probability of agreeing that Western civilization has done more harm than good was just 3% — but that figure jumped to 73% when the statement referred to Islamic civilization.
At the opposite end — those scoring lowest on the pro-West index — the results flipped dramatically. The estimated probability of agreeing that Western civilization has done more harm than good rose to 84%, while agreement that Islamic civilization has done more harm than good fell to just 9%.
Who harbors more hostility?
The data points to two notable conclusions, according to the survey’s authors. First, people who are anti-West express negative views about the West more intensely than pro-West individuals express negative views about Islam. In other words, the Left appears to hold stronger animosity toward the West than the Right holds toward Islam.
Second, those who dislike the West hold a far more favorable view of Islam than they do of the West. On the pro-West end of the index, the difference in responses between the Western and Islamic versions of the question was 70 percentage points in favor of the West. On the anti-West end, it was 75 percentage points in favor of Islam.
The survey’s authors suggest that while many on the Left would likely say Islam is compatible with the West, their overall worldview — which treats the West as a deeply flawed or harmful force — implies a kind of skepticism about Western values that aligns, in a roundabout way, with the Right’s concerns about Islam.
Political context: Muslim Democrats and new criticism
The survey arrives amid a renewed political debate fueled by the rise of Democratic-Socialist candidates who are Muslim. In November 2025, Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City — the site of the 9/11 attacks. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic nomination for Senate. New Jersey Democrats selected Adam Hamawy as their nominee for the 12th Congressional District, and across the country, Democratic Socialism has gained momentum.
That political movement has drawn criticism not only for its economic agenda but also for the religious background of some of its leading figures. Critics have argued that the issue is not simply radical extremists within Islam, but the religion itself — contending that its teachings are fundamentally at odds with American governance and culture.
Representative Brandon Gill (TX-26) put it bluntly, saying Islam is “incompatible with our culture and our governing system.” In January 2026, Republican Congressmen Keith Self (TX-03) and Chip Roy (TX-21) founded the “Sharia Free America Caucus,” which launched with 24 members in less than a month. Congressman Andy Ogles (TN-05), a member, said, “Islam is a religion of violence, abuse of women, and ruthless political conquest.”
Unsurprisingly, the caucus has been labeled “Islamophobic” by critics.
What the poll means
The survey’s findings suggest that skepticism about Islam’s place in the West is not confined to the Right. According to the data, roughly three-quarters of respondents on both ends of the political spectrum say they do not believe Islam is compatible with the West.
The authors note that left-leaning individuals may express openness to Islam while simultaneously condemning the West — and in doing so, they inadvertently reveal their own doubts about whether Islamic and Western values can coexist. As the report puts it, the Left’s deep criticism of the West amounts to a form of agreement with the Right’s position, even if reached through a different path.
For now, the survey offers a snapshot of a nation still grappling with questions that have simmered since 9/11 — and a political landscape where those questions are once again at the forefront of public debate.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/survey-both-the-left-and-right-doubt-islams-fit-in-the-west