CBS Poll: America Wants Retaliation NEW YORK, Sept. 12, 2001
- Results Of First Post-Tragedy CBS News Poll:
- More Than Half Of Us Think The U.S. Will Go To War — And Should
- More Than Half Also Think Government Could Have Done More
(CBS) Most Americans think war is inevitable following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, and two-thirds think the U.S. should retaliate even if innocent people are killed. Many Americanss also wonder why the government didn't prevent the attacks, according to a CBS News poll.
CBS
Shock and horror were among the feelings Americans experienced when they heard about the attacks — and since Tuesday morning, nearly everyone has been paying close attention. Eighty percent, in fact, had been paying very close attention to the news of the day. Most people are willing to label the attacks as "another Pearl Harbor." And like the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, many expect Tuesday's attacks will also lead to war.
Are Attacks Another Pearl Harbor?
Yes No % 60%
28%
Will The Attacks Result In The U.S. Going To War?
Yes 57%
No 28%
Support For Retaliation
Americans overwhelmingly support retaliation — and they would retaliate against whomever is responsible even if it meant killing innocent people. Two-thirds favor a military response in those circumstances, and just 20 percent oppose it.
Should U.S. Retaliate Even If Innocent People Are Killed?
Yes No % 66%
20%
Historically, there are gender differences in support for military actions. In this case, majorities of both men and women favor military action, though there is still a sizable gender gap. Seventy-five percent of men and 57 percent of women support military retaliation, even if innocent people are killed.
There are also gender differences when it comes to concern about terrorist acts at home. Overall, 43 percent say they are personally very concerned about a terrorist attack in the area where they live — but while half of all women are very concerned, just 35 percent of men say they are.
Concerned About Terrorist Attack In Your Community?
Yes 43%
No 56%
Most Americans believe that the U.S. government will be able to catch those who planned the attacks — nine in ten are confident this will happen. In fact, 53 percent are very confident of this.
Confident U.S. Government Will Catch Those Responsible?
Very confident 53%
Somewhat confident 38
Not confident 8
The Need For Security
There is considerable concern that these attacks were preventable. By two to one, Americans agree that these attacks were something that U.S. intelligence agencies should have discovered in advance, agreeing with those who have said the attacks represent the biggest failure for American intelligence since Pearl Harbor.
Should U.S. Intelligence Have Known About Attacks In Advance?
Yes 56%
No 27%
But according to the public it wasn't just a failure of U.S. intelligence. By nearly two to one, Americans think that the attacks would have been prevented with tighter airport security. Only a third believe the attacks would have happened anyway.
Could Attacks Have Been Prevented By Tighter Airport Security?
Yes 57%
No 36%
The public clearly thinks that there are protections against terrorism, rejecting the claim that there is never safe protection against terrorism, and instead saying that there are not enough security precautions in the U.S. There were similar reactions in 1998 after the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as after the 1983 bombing of U.S. Marine barracks in Lebanon. In both of those, a majority of Americans said there had been lax security, not that there was no way to protect against terrorist acts.
Guarding Against Terrorism In The U.S.
Never can be really safe 31%
Not enough security 54%
The Symbol Of The World Trade Center
The World Trade Center was not only a financial symbol; it was also a place that many Americans had a personal connection to. Twenty-seven percent of those we interviewed said they had visited the World Trade Center. That figure includes about half of those who live in the Northeast, but even outside of the Northeast, about one in five Americans say they had visited the buildings.
This poll was conducted among a nationwide random sample of 402 adults, interviewed by telephone September 11, 2001. About half were interviewed before President Bush's speech to the nation and half afterwards. The error due to sampling could be plus or minus five percentage points for results based on the entire sample.
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