These poll numbers were released earlier today by Rasmussen Reports -- "an electronic publishing firm specializing in the collection, publication, and distribution of public opinion polling information."
57% Believe America Has Changed for the Worse Since 9/11
Saturday, May 7, 2011
The killing of Osama bin Laden brought back memories of September 11, 2001 for many, and, just a few months short of the 10th anniversary of those horrendous events, most Americans believe the attacks changed the country for the worse.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that an overwhelming 84% of Adults agree that the 9/11 attacks changed America forever. Just five percent (5%) don't believe that to be true, while 11% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here .)
Fifty-seven percent (57%) believe America has changed for the worse since the terrorist attacks. Twenty-one percent (21%) think the country has changed for the better, while 11% say there has been no change. Another 11% are not sure what impact the September 11 attacks have has on the nation.
The number who feel America has changed for the worse has generally been trending up since shortly after 9/11. In October 2001, a month after the attacks, 57% believed America had changed for the better. In January 2002, 61% felt that way. That number has generally declined ever since .
However, there is an increase in optimism from last September . On the ninth anniversary of September 11, 68% felt America had changed for the worse, while only 11% said it changed for the better.
The survey of 1,000 Adults nationwide was conducted on May 2-3, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC . See methodology .
There's a high level of agreement across all demographic categories that the United States was changed forever by the events of September 11, 2001.
Women and married adults are more likely to say America was changed for the better than men and those who are not married. Blacks and Democrats are also more likely to believe the country changed for the better than adults of other races or political affiliations.
Adults are almost evenly divided when asked whether many Americans have forgotten the impact of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Forty-four percent (44%) think that's true, while 41% disagree.
Americans overwhelmingly endorse President Obama's decision to kill bin Laden and don't believe a greater effort should have been made to bring the terrorist mastermind to trial.
Confidence in America's safety has jumped since the killing of bin Laden . Fifty-one percent (51%) of voters nationwide now say the United States is safer today than it was before the 9/11 attacks. That's up from 39% in April and is the highest level of confidence measured since April 2009.
Americans remain highly concerned about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the United States in the near future, but that concern has not increased because of the killing of bin Laden. Most also feel bin Laden's death will not worsen U.S. relations with the Muslim world.
However, 84% of voters believe it's at least somewhat likely than Pakistan knew where bin Laden was hiding , and most now oppose any further U.S. financial or military aid to Pakistan.