( CNN ) -- As Sens . John McCain and Barack Obama battle over who has the best approach to national security , a new CNN poll finds Americans ' concerns about terrorism have hit an all-time low for the post-September 11 era . A poll finds fewer Americans fear an imminent terror attack than at any time since September 11 , 2001 . According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday , 35 percent of Americans believe a terrorist attack somewhere in the United States is likely over the next several weeks . The figure is the lowest in a CNN poll since the September 11 , 2001 , al Qaeda attacks , which killed nearly 3,000 people . Between 2002 and 2006 , summertime polls typically showed that a majority of Americans believed that a terrorist attack was likely . Last summer , that figure dropped to 41 percent . This summer , it dropped another 6 percentage points . The latest CNN poll also indicates that the war in Iraq remains deeply unpopular . Three in 10 voters favor the war , while 68 percent oppose it . Similarly , a third of voters would like to see the next president keep the same number of troops in Iraq that are stationed there now . See how the poll numbers stack up » . For McCain , who is seeking to highlight his national security credentials and has staunchly defended the U.S. presence in Iraq , the latest poll results may not be viewed in a positive light . `` Sen. McCain 's greatest strength is in foreign policy , particularly his reputation as the candidate best able to fight the war on terror , '' said Keating Holland , CNN 's polling director . `` As the threat of a terrorist attack continues to recede in the mind of the American voter , the state of the economy and other domestic issues are likely to become even more important . That would be good news for Sen. Obama , since the Democrats currently beat or tie the Republicans on every issue except terrorism . '' Another potential problem for McCain may be found in President Bush 's latest job approval ratings . According to the survey , 30 percent of Americans approve of how Bush is handling his job , while 68 percent disapprove of Bush 's job performance . These numbers are roughly consistent with the president 's approval ratings over most of the last two years . They also reinforce the need for the presumptive Republican nominee to create an impression of distance and distinction between himself and Bush . Democrats , on the other hand , are eager to tie McCain to the unpopular outgoing president and portray his possible election as the equivalent of a third Bush term . The poll , conducted Thursday through Sunday by phone , surveyed 1,026 adult Americans and carries a sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points .
CNN / Opinion Research Corp. survey finds fewer people see attack imminent . Percentage who expect attack is lowest since September 11 , 2001 . Survey also finds strong opposition to Iraq war , current troop levels in Iraq . Numbers could indicate challenge for Sen. John McCain 's presidential campaign .