Eighty percent (80%) of Americans believe that Osama bin Laden is still alive. But only a little more than a third believe that whether the Al Qaeda chief is alive or dead is relevant to national security.

Slightly fewer women (78%) than men (83%), and slightly fewer Democrats (79%) than Republicans (83%) think bin Laden is still alive.

Last summer we asked whether it was likely that bin Laden would be caught or killed within the next year, and found that about half of Americans were optimistic on that score.

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of all likely voters agree that if bin Laden is killed or captured, the United States would be safer, 47% say the country would not be safer.

On this question, there is a big difference according to partisan affiliation. Fifty-five percent (55%) of Republicans believe that the U.S. would indeed be safer if bin Laden were killed or captured. Only 27% of Democrats and 26% of those unaffiliated with either major party believe that.

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