1 in 5 Americans thinks Obama is a Muslim

As many as one in five Americans think wrongly that President Barack Obama is a Muslim, indicating a significant increase in the number of such people since his inauguration in January 2009, a study has revealed.

At the same time, the number of people who now correctly identify Obama as a Christian has dropped to 34 per cent, down from nearly half when he took office, according to new Pew Research Centre survey.

According to Hindustantimes, among those who say Obama is a Muslim, 60 per cent say they learned about his religion from the media, suggesting that their opinions are fuelled by misinformation, says the poll.

The poll was conducted before he expressed support for the Muslims' right to construct an Islamic cultural centre and mosque near the 9/11 terror attack site in New York.