December 02, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided in their assessment of their country’s security situation, according to a poll by YouGov/Polimetrix published in The Economist. 39 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is safer than in 2001, 30 per cent believe it is about as safe as then, and 26 per cent say it is less safe now.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in the United States are divided in their assessment of their country’s security situation, according to a poll by YouGov/Polimetrix published in The Economist. 39 per cent of respondents think the U.S. is safer than in 2001, 30 per cent believe it is about as safe as then, and 26 per cent say it is less safe now.

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.

Bin Laden has not been seen publicly since 2001, appearing only in several purportedly authentic video and audiotapes. On Nov. 29, a new audio message featuring bin Laden was released. In the tape, the al-Qaeda leader criticized the U.S. government’s decision to invade Afghanistan, saying, "The events of Manhattan were retaliation against the American-Israeli alliance’s aggression against our people in Palestine and Lebanon, and I am the only one responsible for it. The Afghan people and government knew nothing about it. America knows that."

Polling Data

Are we safer from terrorist attacks now than we were in 2001?

Much more safe	11%
Somewhat more safe	28%
About the same	30%
Somewhat less safe	9%
Much less safe	17%
Not sure	5%

Source: YouGov/Polimetrix / The Economist
Methodology: Online interviews with 996 American adults, conducted on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27, 2007. No margin of error was provided.