USA TODAY/Gallup Poll Looks at Americans' Thoughts on Terrorism Over the Last 10 Years

MCLEAN, Va., Sept. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In the final week leading up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and the events that changed America ten years ago, USA TODAY and Gallup have conducted an exclusive poll looking at Americans' thoughts on terrorism and how they've changed over the last decade.

USA TODAY/Gallup poll results show:

• The proportion of Americans who say the government should take steps to protect its citizens against terrorism, even if it means violating civil liberties, has dropped almost in half since the days after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. In January 2002, 47% of Americans said they were willing to have the government violate some of their basic civil liberties in order to prevent more acts of terrorism. Asked the same question last month, only 25% answered the same way.

• In a striking contrast with the national mood 10 years ago, fewer Americans now think that "the Muslim world considers itself at war with the U.S.'' In March 2002, 71% agreed with that statement. Nine months later that number had dropped to 60%, and today it's down to 51%.

• Faith in the government's anti-terrorism capacity has dropped. Asked less than a week after 9/11 how much confidence they had in the government to protect citizens from terrorist attacks, 41% of respondents said "a great deal.'' By March 2002, 24% agreed with that assessment. Now, only 22% do.

• Who's winning the war on terrorism? Not much has changed in how Americans answer that question. A month after the 9/11 attacks, 42% said the U.S. and its allies were winning, and by the following January that rose to 66%. By April 2002, the percentage of Americans who felt their nation was winning the terror war fell into the minority. They have constituted a majority only three times since -- twice immediately after the Iraq invasion in early 2003 and once in January 2004, after Saddam Hussein's capture. In June 2007, the last time until this year that USA TODAY and Gallup asked who was winning, only 29% said the U.S. was winning. Asked the same question last month, respondents agreeing that the U.S. and its allies were winning the terror war had climbed back to 42% -- the same as 10 years ago.

• People seem less worried about the imminent likelihood of a terrorist attack today. Only 38% consider one somewhat or very likely "over the next several weeks,'' compared to 66% ten days after 9/11. A series of mysterious anthrax attacks, which eventually killed five people, drove that up to 85% the following month. In the 18 times the question has been asked since late 2003, the highest "likely" response was May 2 this year, one day after Bin Laden was killed. The highest ever was the 85% in the anthrax attack period.

The USA TODAY/Gallup poll was taken a month before the 10th anniversary of the attacks. Full poll results are in today's edition of USA TODAY and online at usatoday.com.

USA TODAY is a multi-platform news and information media company. Founded in 1982, USA TODAY's mission is to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation. Today, through its newspaper, website and mobile platforms, USA TODAY connects readers and engages the national conversation. USA TODAY, the nation's number one newspaper in print circulation with an average of more than 1.8 million daily, and USATODAY.com, an award-winning newspaper website  launched in 1995, reach a combined 5.4 million readers daily. USA TODAY is a leader in mobile applications with more than nine million downloads on mobile devices.  The USA TODAY brand also includes USA TODAY Education and USA TODAY Sports Weekly. USA TODAY is owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

SOURCE USA TODAY