In the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, American fears of terrorism spiked sharply. Right after the attacks, over 70 percent of Americans said that another terrorist attack “causing large numbers of American lives to be lost” in the “near future” was likely.
What is remarkable, according to our research, is that this percentage is much the same today. Polls in the United States since 2001 generally find little decline in Americans’ fear of terrorism — even though there are good reasons to expect a decline.
What is driving this? CONT.
John Mueller & Mark G. Stewart, Monkey Cage