(09/07/11) -

Americans Expect New Attack Similar to 9/11 in Their Lifetimes

Most respondents agree with the 9/11 Commission and reject the notion that a controlled demolition took place in the World Trade Center.

A majority of Americans believe that a terrorist attack similar in scope and magnitude to 9/11 will take place again in U.S. soil, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

The online survey of a representative sample of 1,787 American adults also shows that respondents are divided in the effectiveness of the military intervention in Afghanistan that was launched by the United States government after the events of 9/11.

9/11

Two thirds of respondents (66%) believe that the commission that investigated the events of Sept. 11, 2001 was right in its conclusion that an attack was carried out by 19 hijackers who were members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, led by Osama bin Laden.

Only 12 per cent of respondents openly disagree with the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission, and 22 per cent are undecided.

A small proportion of Americans find several assertions that have been made about 9/11 as credible, including the notion that United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania, was shot down (16%), that the collapse of the World Trade Center was the result of a controlled demolition (14%), and that no airplane actually crashed at the Pentagon on Sept. 11 (11%).

Even fewer respondents believe that Osama bin Laden is alive (9%) and that no airplanes crashed on the World Trade Center on 9/11 (5%).

Terrorism

More than half of Americans (58%) think that an attack similar in scope and magnitude to 9/11 will take place in the United States again in their lifetimes. Republicans (66%) are more likely than Independents (59%) and Democrats (52%) to feel this way.

More than a third of Americans (36%) are “very concerned” or “moderately concerned” about becoming the victim of a terrorist attack, while three-in-five (60%) are” not too concerned” or “not concerned at all.” Democrats (43%) are more worried about this possibility than Republicans (36%) or Independents (33%).

Americans are divided in their assessment of the military intervention that was launched in Afghanistan as a result of 9/11, with 44 per cent considering a success and 36 per cent deeming it a failure. Republicans are more likely to see the military campaign as a success (48%) than Democrats and Independents (both at 33%).

Analysis

There has been little change in the views of Americans on the 9/11 attacks since the survey conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion in March 2010 after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed that the 9/11 attacks were a “fabrication”. The core group of Americans who question certain elements of the official story—including the conclusions of the 9/11 commission and the notion that “many people” in the U.S government had prior knowledge of the plot—does not reach one-in-six respondents.

As the military intervention in Afghanistan draws to a close, the public is clearly divided. Republicans are more likely to say that the war was a success, while almost half of Democrats and Independents claim it was a failure.

Full Report, Detailed Tables and Methodology (PDF)

CONTACT:

Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion
+877 730 3570
mario.canseco@angus-reid.com

Methodology: From September 1 to September 2, 2011, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,787 randomly selected American adults who are Springboard America panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 2.3%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of the United States. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.