Standard News

Hide Advertisement
  • Business
  • Culture
  • News
  • Technology
  • Trending
Site logo
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Party lines split U.S. on terror threat 15 years after 9/11: poll

By Reuters 2 min read
Advertisement - Continue reading below
An American flag flies near the base of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York on September 11 2001

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks nearing, Americans are sharply divided on party lines over the threat of a major terrorist attack on the United States, according to a poll released on Wednesday.

Forty percent of Americans say the ability of terrorists to strike the United States is greater than it was at the time of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to the Pew Research Center survey of 1,201 adults.

Advertisement

That share is up 6 percentage points since November 2013 and marks the highest percentage with that view over the past 14 years. Thirty-one percent of respondents say terrorists’ abilities to attack are the same, and a quarter say it is less.

“The growth in the belief that terrorists are now better able to launch a major strike on the U.S. has come almost entirely among Republicans,” the Pew Research Center said.

Fifty-eight percent of Republicans say terrorists’ ability to hit the United States in a major attack is greater than at the time of 9/11, up 18 points since 2013, it said.

The poll results marked the first time that a majority in either political party had expressed that opinion, the Pew center said.

About a third of independents, or 34 percent, and 31 percent of Democrats say terrorists are better able to strike the United States than they were then. Those views are up 2 percentage points each from three years ago, according to the survey.

The partisan divide is in line with other opinion sampling on the U.S. government’s ability to deal with terrorism, Pew said.

In an April Pew poll, three-quarters of Democrats said the government was doing very or fairly well in reducing the threat from terrorism, while 29 percent of Republicans said the same.

The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are a powerful memory for many Americans. Almost 3,000 people died when hijackers slammed airliners into New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field

Ninety-one percent of the adults surveyed remember exactly where they were or what they were doing when they heard news about the attacks. Among those under 30, 83 percent said the same.

The Pew survey was conducted by telephone from Aug. 23 to Sept. 2. The margin of error is 3.2 percentage points, meaning results could vary that much either way.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

tagreuters.com2016binary_LYNXNPEC861D0-VIEWIMAGE

tagreuters.com2016binary_LYNXNPEC861D5-VIEWIMAGE

Advertisement - Continue reading below

Kentucky court grants injunction against abortion clinic
News
Reuters 2 min read

Kentucky court grants injunction against abortion clinic

Report: 375 Million Current Jobs May Be Automated as Soon as 2030
Business
Brad Kallet 2 min read

Report: 375 Million Current Jobs May Be Automated as Soon as 2030

Weird Phenomenon In Missouri Is Boggling People’s Minds
Trending
David Clarke 3 min read

Weird Phenomenon In Missouri Is Boggling People’s Minds

Gallup Poll: Global Approval of US Leadership Hits New Low
Business
Brad Kallet 2 min read

Gallup Poll: Global Approval of US Leadership Hits New Low

U.S. may seek power to pre-approve self-driving car technology
News
Reuters 3 min read

U.S. may seek power to pre-approve self-driving car technology

From Bhangarh Fort to Shimla’s Tunnel No
Entertainment
Ethan Blake 8 min read

From Bhangarh Fort to Shimla’s Tunnel No

Obama says U.S. race relations have improved, but work to be done
News
Reuters 2 min read

Obama says U.S. race relations have improved, but work to be done

Watch This Heartwarming Clip of a Formerly Homeless Boy Receiving a Bed of His Own
Culture
Brian Delpozo 2 min read

Watch This Heartwarming Clip of a Formerly Homeless Boy Receiving a Bed of His Own

NASA’s Juno spacecraft loops into orbit around Jupiter
News
Reuters 3 min read

NASA’s Juno spacecraft loops into orbit around Jupiter

George W. Bush to put out book of his paintings to help veterans
News
Reuters 1 min read

George W. Bush to put out book of his paintings to help veterans

load more Loading posts...

sidebar

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

sidebar-alt

  • About Us
  • Imprint
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • For Advertisers