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In January 2002, just months after the 2001 attacks, 83% of Americans said “defending the country from future terrorist attacks” was a top priority for the president and Congress, the highest for any issue. |
Since then, sizable majorities have continued to cite that as a top policy priority. |
Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats have consistently ranked terrorism as a top priority over the past two decades, with some exceptions. |
Republicans and Republican-leaning independents have remained more likely than Democrats and Democratic leaners to say defending the country from future attacks should be a top priority. |
In recent years, the partisan gap has grown larger as Democrats began to rank the issue lower relative to other domestic concerns.The public’s concerns about another attack also remained fairly steady in the years after 9/11, through near-misses and the federal government’s numerous “Orange Alerts” – the second-most serious threat level on its color-coded terrorism warning system. |
A 2010 analysis of the public’s terrorism concerns found that the share of Americans who said they were very concerned about another attack had ranged from about 15% to roughly 25% since 2002. |
The only time when concerns were elevated was in February 2003, shortly before the start of the U.S. war in Iraq. |
In recent years, the share of Americans who point to terrorism as a major national problem has declined sharply as issues such as the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and racism have emerged as more pressing problems in the public’s eyes. |
In 2016, about half of the public (53%) said terrorism was a very big national problem in the country. |
This declined to about four-in-ten from 2017 to 2019. |
Last year, only a quarter of Americans said that terrorism was a very big problem. |
This year, prior to the U.S. withdrawal of forces from Afghanistan and the subsequent Taliban takeover of the country, a somewhat larger share of adults said domestic terrorism was a very big national problem (35%) than said the same about international terrorism. |
But much larger shares cited concerns such as the affordability of health care (56%) and the federal budget deficit (49%) as major problems than said that about either domestic or international terrorism. |
Still, recent events in Afghanistan raise the possibility that opinion could be changing, at least in the short term. |
In a late August survey, 89% of Americans said the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan was a threat to the security of the U.S., including 46% who said it was a major threat. |
Just as Americans largely endorsed the use of U.S. military force as a response to the 9/11 attacks, they were initially open to a variety of other far-reaching measures to combat terrorism at home and abroad. |
In the days following the attack, for example, majorities favored a requirement that all citizens carry national ID cards, allowing the CIA to contract with criminals in pursuing suspected terrorists and permitting the CIA to conduct assassinations overseas when pursuing suspected terrorists. |
However, most people drew the line against allowing the government to monitor their own emails and phone calls (77% opposed this). |
And while 29% supported the establishment of internment camps for legal immigrants from unfriendly countries during times of tension or crisis – along the lines of those in which thousands of Japanese American citizens were confined during World War II – 57% opposed such a measure. |
It was clear that from the public’s perspective, the balance between protecting civil liberties and protecting the country from terrorism had shifted. |
In September 2001 and January 2002, 55% majorities said that, in order to curb terrorism in the U.S., it was necessary for the average citizen to give up some civil liberties. |
In 1997, just 29% said this would be necessary while 62% said it would not. |
For most of the next two decades, more Americans said their bigger concern was that the government had not gone far enough in protecting the country from terrorism than said it went too far in restricting civil liberties. |
The public also did not rule out the use of torture to extract information from terrorist suspects. |
In a 2015 survey of 40 nations, the U.S. was one of only 12 where a majority of the public said the use of torture against terrorists could be justified to gain information about a possible attack. |
Concerned about a possible backlash against Muslims in the U.S. in the days after 9/11, then-President George W. |
Bush gave a speech to the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., in which he declared: “Islam is peace.” For a brief period, a large segment of Americans agreed. |
In November 2001, 59% of U.S. adults had a favorable view of Muslim Americans, up from 45% in March 2001, with comparable majorities of Democrats and Republicans expressing a favorable opinion. |
This spirit of unity and comity was not to last. |
In a September 2001 survey, 28% of adults said they had grown more suspicious of people of Middle Eastern descent; that grew to 36% less than a year later. |
Republicans, in particular, increasingly came to associate Muslims and Islam with violence. |
In 2002, just a quarter of Americans – including 32% of Republicans and 23% of Democrats – said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers. |
About twice as many (51%) said it was not. |
But within the next few years, most Republicans and GOP leaners said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence. |
Today, 72% of Republicans express this view, according to an August 2021 survey. |
Democrats consistently have been far less likely than Republicans to associate Islam with violence. |
In the Center’s latest survey, 32% of Democrats say this. |
Still, Democrats are somewhat more likely to say this today than they have been in recent years: In 2019, 28% of Democrats said Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence among its believers than other religions. |
The partisan gap in views of Muslims and Islam in the U.S. is evident in other meaningful ways. |
For example, a 2017 survey found that half of U.S. adults said that “Islam is not part of mainstream American society” – a view held by nearly seven-in-ten Republicans (68%) but only 37% of Democrats. |
In a separate survey conducted in 2017, 56% of Republicans said there was a great deal or fair amount of extremism among U.S. Muslims, with fewer than half as many Democrats (22%) saying the same. |
The rise of anti-Muslim sentiment in the aftermath of 9/11 has had a profound effect on the growing number of Muslims living in the United States. |
Surveys of U.S. Muslims from 2007-2017 found increasing shares saying they have personally experienced discrimination and received public expression of support. |
It has now been two decades since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 – where only the courage of passengers and crew possibly prevented an even deadlier terror attack. |
For most who are old enough to remember, it is a day that is impossible to forget. |
In many ways, 9/11 reshaped how Americans think of war and peace, their own personal safety and their fellow citizens. |
And today, the violence and chaos in a country half a world away brings with it the opening of an uncertain new chapter in the post-9/11 era. |
Say “Alexa, enable the Pew Research Center flash briefing” 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. |
It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. |
Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. |
It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections Alternatively, search more than 1 million objects from IWM collections On the morning of 11 September 2001, 19 Al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger planes in the United States. |
Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, causing both towers to collapse. |
A third plane was crashed into the Pentagon, just outside Washington, DC. |
The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after the crew and passengers attacked the terrorists on board, preventing it from hitting another target thought to be the White House. |
This section of twisted and rusted steelwork was lifted from the ruins of the World Trade Center and is now on display at IWM London. |
The piece comprises beams from the external walls of the building, and was originally located somewhere around one of the two impact zones. |
The attacks claimed nearly 3,000 lives and impacted many more globally. |
On 20 September, US President George W Bush declared a 'War on Terror' and stated that defeating terrorism was now the world’s fight. |
The US had experienced terrorist attacks previously, but none had been on the same scale or significance. |
9/11 shook the world and shaped the generation to come. |
An invasion of Afghanistan was launched barely one month later, on 7 October 2001. |
American, British and Afghan United Front (Northern Alliance) forces were deployed to destroy al-Qaeda and remove the Taliban regime that had harboured the terrorist group in Afghanistan. |
The Taliban regime fell in November 2001. |
Following an international conference in in December, a new transitional Afghan government was formed. |
A UN-mandated multinational force, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was established to help secure Kabul and assist the new administration. |
ISAF was initially tasked with providing security in Kabul and after NATO took command in 2003, ISAF deployed more widely across Afghanistan. |
Troops became increasingly involved in intense combat operations against a Taliban insurgency until 2014. |
A paratrooper of Bruneval Company, 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment, passes a group of young children during a security patrol in the centre of Kabul Afghanistan, February 2002. |
British troops were deployed in Afghanistan on Operation FINGAL under the auspices of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). |
The mission was to assist the interim administration with security and stability. |
The broader impact of 9/11 meant that the perceived threat of international terrorism dominated governments and their foreign policies. |
Two years after 9/11 a decision was made to invade Iraq. |
The Bush administration claimed that Iraq’s ruler, Saddam Hussein, was developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that threatened the peace of the world. |
After the initial success of removing Saddam from power, the US-led coalition took responsibility for reconstruction of the country. |
Their role has since come under close scrutiny alongside their justifications for war. |
9/11 was a direct attack on the very heart of the US mainland, an event never experienced as directly by Americans before. |
But it also had catastrophic long-term consequences across the globe. |
More than 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks including 67 individuals from the UK. |
The events on 9/11 led directly to war in Afghanistan, to the US declaration of the ‘War on Terror’ and subsequently later to the invasion of Iraq. |
Both countries are still riven with conflict today. |
The effects of 9/11 were also felt closer to home as many governments, including in the UK, began to introduce new anti-terror legislation to combat the perceived threat from international terrorism. |
It was a historic day that changed the world and its legacy continues to be complex and ongoing. |
In 2014, British combat troops left Afghanistan. |
British forces had been in the country since 2001 when they were sent as part of a coalition tasked with intervening in Afghanistan to find the leaders of al-Qaeda after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. |
In spring 2014, IWM staff visited Afghanistan as part of IWM's Contemporary Conflicts Programme. |
In the individual accounts presented here, senior Army officers reflect on how the war in Afghanistan has affected the British military. |
Janice Brooks worked for international brokerage firm Euro Brokers in the South Tower of the World Trade Center complex, having only moved to New York from London just weeks before the events of 11 September 2001. |
Janice worked on the 84th floor of Two World Trade Center, managing to escape, while 61 of her colleagues unfortunately did not. |
The attacks on 9/11 had a profound impact on many people’s lives, shaping the direction that their lives took from this point on. |
How did people around the world react to the events of 9/11? |
Explore stories of those who remember that day and find out how to share your memories of these events. |
After 20 years of conflict, the Taliban again claim to be in control of Afghanistan. |
In this video, we look at how the war in Afghanistan began, what Britain’s role was, and why the war lasted for 20 years. |
Find out more about objects on display at IWM branches that tell the story of 9/11 and the events that followed. |
© Imperial War Museums 2024Ten years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. |
11, 2001, the United States has been defined by its resolve, its values and the resilience with which it has overcome this tragedy. |
The 9/11 attacks and other acts of terrorism have failed to undermine our values or weaken our society. |
Americans continue to embrace democratic values and fundamental liberties, instead of fear and oppression. |
As the Justice Department and the entire nation honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, the department remains fully committed to the fight against those who target Americans and our way of life. |
The best way to honor the legacies of the victims of 9/11 is to prevent further terrorist attacks on this country, which remains the highest priority and most urgent work of the department. |
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