Persistence in the Perception of Barack Obama as a Muslim in the 2008 Presidential Campaign

A number of Americans persisted in believing a rumor during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign that Barack Obama was Muslim despite news stories, fact-checking Web sites, and Obama's self-professed Christian affiliation. Using a panel study in the last three months of the campaign, this study explores what factors predict who maintained this misperception and whether exposure to the news media, which often attempted to debunk the myth, influenced perceptions. While political and religious conservative beliefs predicted a belief in Obama as Muslim, exposure to the news media did little to moderate this effect.