An average American may not know a Hindu, yet he is likely to rate him warmly today. As per the report of “polling and analysis” posted by Washington DC headquartered Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, on February 15, fewer than half of Americans say they personally know a Mormon (43%) or a Muslim (45%), though more Americans say they know a Muslim today than said this in June of 2014 (38%). Smaller shares say they know someone who is Buddhist (23%) or Hindu (22%) and yet it is Hindu who is likely to get their thumbs up.

Asked to rate a variety of groups on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0 to 100, Americans’ feelings toward Hindus have shifted from relatively neutral place of 50 in 2014 on the thermometer to somewhat warmer rating of 58.

Americans aged 18-29 put the Hindus at 64 on the thermometer, which is higher than Jews, Atheists, Evangelical Christians, Mainline Protestants, Muslims, and Mormons.

Jews lead those who like Hindu community the most:

Jews gave Hindus a thermometer rating of 70, which is highest given to Hindus by any religious group.

Hindus were rated at 70 by those who had personal connections with someone in the Hindu community, as compared to 54 given by those who had no such connection.

These were among the findings of a new Pew Research Center survey of 4,248 adults conducted between January 9 to 23, 2016 on the Center’s nationally representative American Trends Panel.

Meanwhile, Hindu leader Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, congratulating the American Hindu community on climbing higher on the warmth scale; urged them to continue with the traditional values of hard work, higher morals, stress on education, sanctity of marriage, etc.; amidst so many distractions.

Pic credit: Darpan magazine

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