A majority of Americans (56 percent, including majorities in all the major Christian traditions) say the values of Islam are at odds with American values. That’s a significant rise of nine points, since 2011 when Americans were split, with 47 percent saying Islamic values were incompatible while 48 percent disagreed.

This includes: 73 of white evangelical Protestants (up 14 points from 59 percent in 2011)
63 percent of white mainline Protestants (up 16 points from 47 percent)
61 percent of Catholics (up 20 points from 41 percent)

Only two groups did not reflect a significant rise in Islamophobia: 55 percent of black Protestants said Islamic values were incompatible with American values (up only 4 points from 51 percent) and 41 percent of “nones,” people who claim no religious label, and Jews (42 percent in 2011).

Since Jews are non-Christians, and 95 percent of “nones” are ex-Christians; both groups are usually closer to each other than either is to Christian public values.

These figures come from the  Public Religion Research Institute’s annual American Values Survey (of 2,695 U.S. adults), released Tuesday (Nov. 17).

These figures are the result of widespread doubt about America’s future. For the first time in six years of the survey, Americans are split — 49 percent to 49 percent — on whether “America’s best days are ahead of us or behind us.”

The slow recovery from the Great Rescission, legal gay marriage and ongoing terrorism in the Middle East make millions of American’s doubt America’s future. Some of these fearful people will fall for demagogues who will try to scapegoat Muslims.