How Americans Feel About Terrorism and Security: Three Years After September 11

The following is a product of The National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, commissioned in collaboration with The Children’s Health Fund (CHF), and conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion. NCDP is a major national and international resource in disaster and terrorism readiness. NCDP includes one of the original Academic Centers for Public Health Preparedness, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) prior to September 11, 2001. This White Paper summarizes the latest in a series of surveys designed to identify trends and public attitudes related to the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Over time, these surveys have also been useful in monitoring the impact of subsequent events including the crash of American Airlines flight 587, the unresolved anthrax attacks, the ambiguity over smallpox vaccinations, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the issuance of color-coded security alerts and government requests for enhanced public vigilance.