More Republican voters appear to favour Donald Trump’s proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States, a recent poll suggests.

The figures, released by NBC News and The Wall Street Journal, found that 42 percent of Republican voters support the call compared to the opposed 36 percent.

Only a small number of Democrats agree in comparison, 11 percent to 75 percent, while the poll also estimates that 25 percent of all Americans are in favour of the proposition compared to 57 percent in opposition.

The poll, which was taken following the mass shooting in San Bernardino on December 2nd, indicates an increase in terrorism as a public fear among Republican supporters. Almost two thirds of Americans, however, hold favourable views towards Muslims, the study indicates.

Political and public reaction in disapproval to Trump’s proposal has been fierce, with leading Republican Presidential candidates quick to distance his views from that of the party. At a recent press conference in Washington, President Obama called on Americans to “reject bigotry in all its forms” in response to growing anti-Muslim sentiment.

Trump’s views towards Muslims have likewise been ill-received around the world. A petition to ban his entrance into the UK has been signed almost 500,000 times online, a record number for the government's website.

A recent planned trip to Israel was also postposed after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Trump’s anti-Muslim standing. Mr. Trump tweeted that he planned to reschedule his visit once he was President of the United States.

As the race for the Republican presidential candidate continues, it will be interesting to see if Mr. Trump's surge in support from Republican voters will enable him to weather the political and public storm he has created from his anti-Muslim sentiment.

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