Thirty percent (30%) of American adults say that, within the next year, it is Very Likely that there will be another terrorist attack on the United States. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone poll found that 40% view another attack as Somewhat Likely. Just 18% dismiss a possible attack as Not at All Likely or Not Very Likely.

Recently, there has been much publicity about attempted attacks at Fort Dix, New Jersey and the JFK Airport in New York. Those attacks were thwarted. Concern about possible terrorist attacks cuts across demographic and partisan lines. Thirty-one percent (31%) of women believe another attack is Very Likely and 29% of men share that view. Thirty-three percent (33%) of Republicans say that an attack is Very Likely. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of Democrats agree as do 28% of those not affiliated with either major party.

Still, in what may be a sign that the possibility of terrorist attack has been accepted as a reality in the post-9/11 world, Americans did not pay terribly close attention to news of the recently attempted attack at the JFK Airport. Just 19% say they followed news of the story Very Closely while another 34% followed it Somewhat Closely. Forty-four percent (44%) followed news of the potential attack Not Very Closely or Not at All. By way of comparison, nearly eight in ten Americans followed news of the immigration debate in Congress Somewhat or Very Closely.

The survey also found that a plurality believes current airport security measures are “about right.” Forty-one percent (41%) of Americans hold that view. Thirty-nine percent (39%) believe security measures should be stricter while 11% believe they are too strict already.

A separate survey found that 48% of Americans now believe the United States is safer today than it was before the 9/11 attacks. That’s up nine percentage points over the past month. There has been a slight increase in confidence that the U.S. and its allies are winning the War on Terror.

While the War in Iraq has been closely linked with the War on Terror, most Americans believe that terrorists will continue attacking the United States even if the U.S. withdraws all combat troops from Iraq. Just 10% believe it is Very Likely that a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq will stop the terrorist attacks. Another 20% believe that outcome is Somewhat Likely. Most (58%) say it is Not Very Likely (26%) or Not at All Likely (32%) that the terrorist attacks will stop when the U.S. troops come home from Iraq.

Democrats are evenly divided on whether withdrawing from Iraq will put an end to terrorist attacks on the United States. Forty-four percent (44%) of Democrats say that it is at least Somewhat Likely while 42% say Not Very Likely or Not at All Likely. By a 74% to 21% margin, Republicans say withdrawing from Iraq will not end the terrorist attacks. Sixty-one percent (61%) of those not affiliated with either major party say withdrawing from Iraq is unlikely to end the terrorist attacks. Just 22% of the unaffiliateds think it is at least Somewhat Likely.

Rasmussen Reports provides regular updates on public attitudes on current events and other topics. The latest updates can be found on the Rasmussen Reports home page.

Rasmussen Reports also regularly tracks attitudes about the War on Terror and Congress. The President’s Job Approval is updated daily and the Generic Congressional Ballot is updated monthly.

Election 2008 coverage includes a weekly update of the Democratic and Republican Presidential nominating contests and continuous updates on general election match-ups, favorability ratings, and ideological perceptions for all Democratic and Republican candidates. Rasmussen Reports also provides continuously updated ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists.

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