More From The Pew Research Center

Released by the Pew Research Center, September 25, 2007:

(This from a nationwide survey of 3,002 adults, August 1-18 of this year.)

• 51% stated that they know very little, or nothing, about Mormons
• 62% stated that the Mormon religion is very different from their own
• 53% have a favorable opinion of Mormons, but that is much less than the 76% favorable rating for Jews and Catholics
• The most common one-word impressions of Mormonism was “polygamy, bigamy, cult” despite the fact that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints banned polygamy almost a century ago

and it isn't just the Muslims and the Mormons who are misunderstood:

• Only 38% (overall) believe that the Pope has done a good job promoting relations with other religions

The Bottom Line:

Although the acceptance rate among Protestants, Catholics and Jews has improved slightly in the U.S., the acceptance of adherents of non-traditional U. S. theologies is generally poor and is frequently based on incorrect understandings of their belief systems and scriptures.