The conflict between Israel and Palestine has had a big effect on relationships toward religious people in the U.S., and the recent war in Gaza has made these tensions even stronger. It has also led to more discrimination and harm toward both Jewish and Muslim Americans, yet there have been important changes in bias and fear, according to a new Rice University study sponsored by Rice’s Boniuk Institute for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance.
The researchers used a large national survey, with extra responses from Jewish and Muslim people, to understand how the war is affecting different groups. The study, “Religious Discrimination and Othering in the U.S. After Oct. 7: A Data Overview,” found that nearly 75% of Jewish respondents have experienced religious bias or hostility, compared to 56% of Muslim respondents, reversing the pattern of a 2019 study where Muslims reported higher rates.
Furthermore, 75% of Jews expressed concern about future religious bias compared to 56% of Muslims. Jews were the most likely religious group to report experiencing an increase in religious bias or hostility after the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, reporting a 23% increase in hostility.
The war has had a major negative impact on the mental health of both communities with 63% of Muslims and 56% of Jews reporting a negative impact, far exceeding all other religious groups, though respondents say they were unlikely to seek therapy for help.
Overall, the American respondents said they felt mostly positive toward Jews, Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians. However, they felt more negative toward the Israeli government and Hamas.
“The data suggests that across most religious groups, Americans demonstrate more sympathy towards religious identities when compared to national identities and political entities and captures the nuanced affect toward groups versus political actors,” said sociologist Elaine Howard Ecklund, lead author and director of the Boniuk Institute.
Jewish and Muslim Americans felt positive toward their own group, but Jewish participants also felt fairly warm toward Muslims even though they felt much cooler toward Palestinians, the study says.
“This shows that people may more easily sympathize with others who share their religion than those with whom they share a political or ethnic identity,” said Kerby Goff, associate director of research at the Boniuk Institute.
The study was based on a national survey conducted through NORC’s Amerispeak panel in July 2024, with statistical assistance from Eduard van der Merwe, a Rice economics graduate student and graduate scholar with the Boniuk Institute.
Founded in 2013, the Boniuk Institute discovers new knowledge through original research, convenes thought leaders across disciplines and sectors and disseminates evidence-based knowledge among relevant local, national and global communities in order to promote meaningful change. Learn more here.