Nearly three-out-of-five U.S. voters (59%) say a terrorist attack in the United States like the one last week in India is at least somewhat likely in the next year. Twenty-three percent (23%) say it is Very Likely.

Just five percent (5%) say such an attack is not at all likely to occur here in the next 12 months, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

Thirty-three percent (33%) of Republicans and 30% of unaffiliated voters say a terrorist attack is Very Likely in the next year, compared to 11% of Democrats. Twenty-two percent (22%) of white voters and 11% of African-Americans agree. Seventeen percent (17%) of black voters say an attack is not at all likely to happen versus three percent (3%) of whites.

Married voters are more fearful than unmarrieds.

A plurality of voters (40%) also believe a terrorist attack in the United States is more likely under President Obama than under the Bush Administration. Thirty-one percent (31%) say an attack is less likely under Obama, while 24% believe the danger of such an attack is about the same under both presidents. Five percent (5%) are undecided.

Forty-two percent (42%) of male voters say an attack is more likely with Obama as president, compared to 38% of female voters.

Again, the partisan divide is wide. While 71% of Republicans and 48% of unaffiliated voters say a terrorist attack is more likely during the Obama presidency, 55% of Democrats say it is less likely. Twenty-nine percent (29%) of Democrats and 27% of unaffiliateds say the risk is about the same, but only 15% of Republicans agree.

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The good news for Obama is that more voters (47%) trust his nominee for secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to handle international relations during terrorist situations like the one in India than the current secretary, Condoleezza Rice (41%). Twelve percent (12%) are not sure which they trust more.

Men are closely divided on the trust issue but lean slightly toward Rice. Women give the edge to Clinton by 16 points. White voters are evenly divided on the two women, but 74% of African-Americans trust Clinton more.

Predictably, 74% of Republicans trust Rice, while 82% of Democrats trust Clinton. Unaffiliated voters give Rice the nod by eight points. Support for Rice is highest among those who attend church on a regular basis.

Indian authorities say 173 people, including six Americans, were killed in the high-profile attacks in Mumbai last week. Radical Islamic terrorists from Pakistan are being blamed for the crimes.

Vice President-elect Joseph Biden said in the closing days of the campaign that Obama was sure to face an international challenge in his first six months in office, and most U.S. voters expect terrorists or Iran to provide that first international test.

Obama continues to score high ratings in the Rassmussen Reports daily Presidential Approval Index. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters have a favorable view of Clinton, who is the best-known of Obama’s newly-named national security team.

Fifty-three percent (53%) say the global economic crisis has taken America’s attention away from the war on terror. Thirty-two percent (32%) do not agree, and 16% are undecided.

White voters by 24 points say the economy has taken the country’s eye off the ball in terms to terrorism, while African-Americans are closely divided on the question. Seventy percent (70%) of Republicans and 57% of unaffiliated voters say the economic crisis has diverted our attention, but a plurality of Democrats (48%) disagree.

Following Obama’s election, confidence in the country’s handling of the war on terror soared to all-time highs, but it has since returned to pre-election levels which are still near the highest levels recorded in the past five years. Forty-eight percent (48%) said the United States is safer today than it was before the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Future polling by Rasmussen Reports will show what impact, if any, last week’s terror attacks in Mumbai will have on these numbers.

Forty-three percent (43%) say they followed news stories about the terror attacks in India Very closely, with another 42% saying they followed Somewhat closely. Only two percent (2%) say they didn’t follow the stories at all.

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