(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer Americans are greatly concerned about the possibility of an attack on their soil, according to a poll by TNS released by ABC and the Washington Post. 18 per cent of respondents say they are worried "a great deal" about the possibility of more major terrorist attacks in the United States, down 11 points in two years.

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.

On Sept. 11, Bush attended the dedication ceremony of the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, and declared: "The day will come when most Americans have no living memory of the events of September the 11th. When they visit this memorial, they will learn that the 21st century began with a great struggle between the forces of freedom and the forces of terror. They will learn that this generation of Americans met its duty—we did not tire, we did not falter, and we did not fail. They will learn that freedom prevailed because the desire for liberty lives in the heart of every man, woman, and child on Earth."

Polling Data

How concerned are you about the possibility there will be more major terrorist attacks in the United States? Is that something that worries you a great deal, somewhat, not too much or not at all?

Source: TNS / ABC News / Washington Post
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,133 American adults, conducted from Sept. 5 to Sept. 7, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

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