People massively overestimate Muslim population, poll shows

[muriel_volestrangler]

The average French estimate was that 31% of the population was Muslim – almost one in three residents. According to Pew Research, France’s Muslim population actually stood at 7.5% in 2010, or one in 13 people.
...
The French were not the only ones to hold such misconceptions: Italian, German and Belgian respondents all guessed that more than a fifth of the resident population was Muslim, while in reality the figure ranges from 3.7% in Italy to 7% in Belgium. All three countries also greatly overstated the expected proportion of Muslim residents in 2020.
...
British respondents put the current Muslim population at 15%, three times the 2010 figure, while they overestimated the projected 2020 population by an even greater margin (22%versus an actual projection of 6%).

In the US the average estimate was Muslims accounted for one in six people, whereas Pew put the actual figure at one in 100, while the future projection was even further off the mark.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/datablog/2016/dec/13/europeans-massively-overestimate-muslim-population-poll-shows

Loads of countries are way off reality, both for the present numbers, and an estimate for 2020. Graphs (which I can't copy) at the link. You can find more here: http://perils.ipsos.com/

[JI7]

1. they might assume most brown and maybe black people are muslim

Even if they are not.

[True Dough]

2. You're probably right

And many can't or don't differentiate between Sikhs and Muslims either.

Most of it is fear of the unknown. Paranoia running rampant.

[JI7]

3. yeah sikhs are some of the biggest victims of anti muslim attacks

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. You can take a quiz about figures (for the USA, or other countries) here

https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2016/dec/14/the-perception-gap-how-well-do-you-know-your-country-take-our-quiz