(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided when assessing their government’s competence to avert terrorism, according to a poll by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News. 49 per cent of respondents have a great deal or a good amount of confidence in their administration’s ability to prevent further attacks, while 50 per cent have only a fair amount of confidence or none at all.

Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In July 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 concluded that "none of the measures adopted by the U.S. government from 1998 to 2001 disturbed or even delayed the progress of the al-Qaeda plot" and pointed out government failures of "imagination, policy, capabilities, and management."

Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. In October 2001, U.S. president George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, claiming that there would be "no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them." The conflict began after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Despite several threats, no other major attack has occurred in the U.S. since 9/11. On Sept. 10, homeland security secretary Michael Chertoff discussed the current state of affairs, saying, "While we have successfully raised our barrier against terrorist attacks, the fact remains that we are still a nation at risk. (...) We continue to face a persistent threat to our homeland over the next several years."

Polling Data

How much confidence do you have in the ability of the U.S. government to prevent further terrorist attacks against Americans in this country?

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