New research shows 60% of Australians would be concerned if a relative married a Muslim.

There is also support for searching Muslims more thoroughly at airports.

The Deakin University study aimed to gauge public perceptions of Islam and Muslims, and 41% of respondents said practicing Muslims do not fit Australian society.

But researcher Matteo Vergani told Neil Mitchell there is a correlation between ignorance of Islam and anti-Islamic sentiment.

‘People who don’t know any Muslims personally, they are really scared about Muslims in general,’ Dr Vergani said.

‘It’s about fear of the unknown, fear of people dressing in a different way, and this is related to prejudice in general.’

Click play for the full story