Obama myth: It persists

News reports debunking the myth that President Obama is a Muslim did nothing to dissuade religious conservatives from believing the rumor, according to research by a University of Georgia professor.

Despite the best efforts of journalists, people on both the left and the right tend to believe what they want to believe whether it's true or not, said the paper's author, UGA journalism professor Barry Hollander.

"You have people out there who want to believe the worst about politicians they don't like," Hollander said, noting that panelists who called Obama a Muslim perceived it to be negative.

Hollander analyzed data collected by American National Election Studies, a political think tank that asked 2,400 panelists questions in September, October and November 2008 to gauge how their opinions changed.

A few people switched from thinking Obama is a Muslim to thinking he is a Christian and vice versa during the course of the study, but overall, the percentage of panelists who falsely believed he is a Muslim held steady at 20 percent.

Fundamentalist Christians and political conservatives were the most likely to say Obama is a Muslim, and exposure to the news did nothing to change their opinions, Hollander said. Younger and less educated people and people who do not follow politics were also more likely to believe the rumors.

News reports debunking rumors about Obama's religious faith may actually have had the opposite of the intended effect because people who are pre