Poll: Many Americans Don't Know Obama Is Christian
Only one-third of Americans can correctly identify President Barack Obama's religion, according to a new Gallup poll. Though it's been three years now since Obama took office, many Americans still don't know he is a Christian.
Thirty-four percent say Obama is a Christian. Among them, seven percent say he's Protestant and four percent believe he's a Baptist.
Meanwhile, 11 percent believe Obama is a Muslim and 8 percent say he has no religion. Forty-four percent say they don't know what the president's religious faith is.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The poll, released Friday, was conducted in June among 1,004 adults. Polls over the last three years have revealed similar numbers. A 2010 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life showed that 34 percent believed Obama was a Christian, 18 percent identified him as a Muslim, and 43 percent said they didn't know.
Obama has professed in writings, public speeches and conversations with fellow Americans that he is a Christian. This year, he spoke of his faith in Jesus Christ at the Easter Prayer Breakfast and most recently, stated in May when announcing his support for same-sex marriage that he and his wife, Michelle, are practicing Christians.
The Obamas do not currently belong to any church but attend various churches, such as St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House, on a few occasions.
According to the latest Gallup poll, Republicans are less likely to identify Obama as a Protestant/Christian (24 percent) compared to Independents (29 percent) and Democrats (52 percent).
Republicans are also more likely to label Obama a Muslim (18 percent) compared to Independents (12 percent) and Democrats (3 percent).
Forty-seven percent of Republicans and 46 percent of Independents say they don't know his religious faith while only 36 percent of Democrats say the same.
Notably, Americans are more likely to know Mitt Romney's religion than Obama's religion. Most Americans correctly identify Romney as a Mormon and 33 percent say they don't know.
