NEW YORK, July 27 (UPI) -- Construction of a Muslim mosque near the site of the World Trade Center terror attack in New York would be a provocation, 42 percent of Americans polled say.
A proposal to build the mosque and a 13-story community center in lower Manhattan a few blocks from Ground Zero has generated strong feelings not only in the New York community but nationwide.
The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll released Tuesday indicated 28 percent of respondents had no problem with locating the mosque near site of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attack carried out by Islamic extremists, regarding it as a symbol of New York's tolerance and openness.
Regionally across the United States, the opposition to the mosque was uniform. However, the gap was wider among Americans age 35-54 (44 percent against to 27 percent for) and those over 55 (47 percent to 26 percent).
The survey found younger people, ages 18-34, were more likely to accept a mosque, with that age group evenly divided on the issue (34 percent to 33 percent).
Among Republicans, 63 percent were opposed, compared with 45 percent of Independents and 32 percent of Democrats.
Angus Reid, a Canadian polling firm, said it sampled 1,013 American adults July 22-23. Its survey results carry a 3.1 percentage point margin of error.
