17 Percent of Public Guesses at US Muslim Population

In a recent survey, Americans on average guessed that 17 out of every 100 people in the U.S. are Muslim. The actual number is about 1 out of every 100.

U.S. residents are hardly alone in overestimating the Muslim presence in their country. In France, the average guess was 31 while the real number was 7.5 percent. In Canada, the guess was 17 percent while the reality was just over 3 percent.

The United Kingdom has a somewhat better handle on this than other nations. The average guess put Muslims at 15 percent of the total population while the actual number was just under 5 percent.

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.