Poll: Most oppose mosque near Ground Zero

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NEW YORK, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- Sixty-one percent of respondents in a Time magazine national poll said they oppose the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero in New York, results indicate.

Results released Thursday indicate 70 percent of respondents said they agreed with the premise building a mosque so close to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks would insult the victims, the magazine said.

The survey also indicated many Americans harbor animosity toward Muslims: 28 percent of voters do not believe Muslims should be eligible to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court and about a third of respondents said followers of Islam should be barred from running for president.

The Time poll also indicated 47 percent of respondents believe Obama is a Christian, 24 percent said they thought he was a Muslim, 24 percent said they preferred not to respond or were unsure and 5 percent said they believe he is neither Christian nor Muslim.

Obama's approval rating was nearly evenly split in the Time survey, with 46 percent of respondents backing his job performance and 45 percent expressing disapproval. Voters said they were less supportive of Obama's policies, with 57 percent saying the United States is headed in the wrong direction.

Results are based on a nationwide survey of 1,002 adults Monday and Tuesday. No margin of error was reported.