Ten years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many Americans think the United States has become a safer nation. But just as many in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll say there has been no change — or that the country has gotten even less safe from terrorism.
The mood has improved ten points in the last year: in September 2010 only 35% said the U.S. was safer than it was in 2001. But while Americans feel a little safer from terrorism now, they still believe an attack is possible: 53% say a terrorist attack in the next 12 months is at least somewhat likely. Republicans are even more nervous about the possibility of another attack.
And al Qaeda, which was responsible for the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, remains a threat: despite the death of its leader, Osama bin Laden, 63% believe that al Qaeda remains a serious threat to the United States.
And only 23% say the United States has recovered from the attacks, about the same percentage who say the country never will recover from them.
Economist/YouGov poll archives can found here.
Photo source: Press Association
