Sharia Law: 43% of Youngest Voters Like It

Younger voters view Islamic sharia law much more positively than do their elders, most of whom see sharia as a threat to America’s future.

A new national telephone and online survey by Rasmussen Reports and Our Republic finds that 21% of Likely U.S voters have at least a somewhat positive opinion of sharia, a system of Islamic religious principles and law.  Fifty-seven percent (57%) view sharia negatively. (To see survey question wording, click here.) 

Positive views of sharia are much higher among younger voters, including 43% of voters ages 18 to 24 and 39% of those ages 25 to 29. By contrast, just 16% of those 40 and older view sharia positively.

A similar trend is apparent on other questions. For example, 83% of all Likely Voters oppose allowing sharia to become the legal code for everyone in an American town, city, or state, even if a majority of residents wanted it. However, 27% of voters under 30 would support allowing a community to adopt sharia under those circumstances, compared to just two percent (2%) of those 40 and older who would support such a proposal. 

“These results reveal a striking generational divide in Americans’ attitudes toward sharia,” said Justin Haskins, president and senior fellow at Our Republic. 

While a clear majority of voters overall have a negative view of sharia and an overwhelming majority oppose allowing it to become the legal code of an American community, large numbers of younger Americans hold very different views.”

(Not getting our eNewsletter? Sign up HERE. Already signed up? Try adding update@rasmussenreports.com to your contacts or whitelisting us. Still having trouble – email subscriptions@rasmussenreports.com. If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,026 U.S. Likely Voters was conducted on September 20, 2026 by Rasmussen Reports and Our Republic. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

The survey also asked voters whether they see Islamic sharia law as a greater threat compared to either the U.S.-Israel alliance or traditional Christianity.

Forty-three percent (43%) believe sharia law poses a greater threat to America’s future, while 25% think America’s alliance with Israel is a greater threat, and 15% say neither sharia nor the alliance with Israel is a threat. Sixteen percent (16%) are not sure.

Fifty-five percent (55%) consider sharia law to be a greater threat to America’s future, while 13% believe traditional Christianity is a greater threat, and 23% think neither poses a threat to America.

On these questions, the divide is largely partisan. Thirty-two percent (32%) of Democrats say America’s alliance with Israel poses a greater threat to America’s future, compared with 23% of Democrats who see sharia law as the greater threat. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republicans believe sharia is a greater threat, as do 40% of voters not affiliated with either major party.

Compared to traditional Christianity, 80% of Republicans, 34% of Democrats and 52% of unaffiliated voters see sharia law as the greater threat to America’s future.

Only eight percent (8%) of all Likely Voters would support a law that requires public schools to teach kids about the benefits of sharia law, while 76% would oppose such a law and 16% are not sure. Twenty-four percent (24%) of voters ages 18 to 24 and 31% of those ages 25 to 29 support such a requirement, compared with just three percent (3%) of voters age 40 and older.

“More than four in 10 voters ages 18 to 24 have a positive opinion of sharia, nearly one-third of voters ages 25 to 29 support requiring public schools to teach children about its benefits, and roughly one-quarter of voters ages 18 to 35 would allow an American community to adopt sharia as its legal code if a majority supported it,” Haskins said of the survey’s findings. “The partisan divide is also remarkable. A plurality of Democrats say America’s alliance with Israel poses a greater threat to the country’s future than sharia law. These findings show just how dramatically attitudes toward sharia, Israel, and traditional American institutions differ across generations and political groups.”

Our Republic is a 501(c)3 nonpartisan research organization dedicated to the advancement of important values related to human rights and freedom. 

President Trump earned a monthly job approval of 43% in September, unchanged from August. Fifty-five percent (56%) disapproved of his job performance last month, also unchanged from August.

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico leads by just one point over Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton in the election for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas.

Additional information from this survey and a full demographic breakdown are available to the public as well as to Platinum Members.

Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free) or follow us on Facebook. Let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.