ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the approach taken by several of the best-known and well-financed Muslim surveys may unwittingly contribute to some of the forced identity dynamic. Priming an identity frame is important both in social science research and, arguably, "real life" because it makes one's identity, or particular aspects of it, more cognitively accessible than it would normally be. Muslim identity conceptualization as "Muslim," "American," or something else has important ramifications for theoretical expectations of social group behavior in the political realm. The chapter focuses on women wearing cover (the hijab). It is immediately clear from both the 2007 and 2011 data that the identity selection items are correlated with respondents' self-reports about wearing hijab. The final set of models focus on whether Pew respondents perceived that Muslim leaders have "done enough" to speak out against Islamic extremists. In fact, identity priming, even via random assignment of subjects in lab-based activities, can spur identity salience.
