72 percent of US Muslims back Obama

72 percent of US Muslims back Obama
By Mario Trujillo - 07-11-14 09:25 AM EDT

Seventy-two percent of Muslim people in the United States approve of President Obama — the highest among any other religion tested by Gallup in a poll released Friday. 

Another 20 percent of Muslims disapprove of the president, according to the survey that tracked approval from January through June.  

The president's approval is lowest among Mormons. Only 18 percent approve, while 78 percent disapprove. 

Though those numbers reflect the extremes in approval, Mormons and Muslims make up two of the smallest religious demographics in the United States. Less than 1 percent of people in the United States identify as Muslim while only about 2 percent of the population is made up of Mormons. 

Obama's approval among all Americans stands at 43 percent. 

Protestants, who make up the largest demographic, give Obama a 37 percent approval rating, lower than any other group except Mormons. Catholics, who represent the second largest group, give Obama a 44 percent approval rating, while 51 percent disapprove. 

Together Protestants and Catholics make up about three quarters of the population — about 53 percent protestant and 24 percent Catholic.

Fifty-four percent of those who do not identify with a religion approve of Obama, while 55 percent of Jewish people approve of him. 

Other non-Christians give Obama a 59 percent approval rating. 

The poll found the distribution of approval among religions has been constant throughout his presidency. However, every religious group has seen its approval of President Obama drop by 5-to-7 points since 2009. 

"Clearly, members of various religions view the president quite differently, but this may be attributable more to whether Obama's Democratic affiliation matches the political leanings of each religious group, and less to the specific policies and actions he has taken throughout his presidency," Gallup wrote in an analysis. 

The poll is made up of interviews with more than 88,000 people through the first half of the year and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.