A new poll has revealed that the American public is taking an increasingly critical public view of Islam.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, 49 percent of all Americans say that they have generally unfavorable opinions of Islam, compared with 37 percent who say that they have favorable ones.

The poll also found that nearly a third of all Americans see mainstream Islam as encouraging violence.

It also found that most Americans believe that the planned Muslim community center should not be built in New York.

Two-thirds of those polled object to the prospective Cordoba House complex near the 9/11 Ground Zero site.

Eighty-two percent of those who oppose the construction said that it was due to the location.

The poll was conducted from August 30 to September 2, among a random national sample of 1,002 adults. (ANI)