ABC News/Washington Post Terrorist Attack Poll #2, September 2001

This special topic poll, conducted September 13, 2001, was
undertaken to assess respondents' reactions to and feelings about the
terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New
York City, damaged the Pentagon in Washington, DC, and resulted in a
plane crash in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. Respondents were
asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his
handling of the presidency and the terrorist attacks. Respondents were
asked whether they believed that the United States government did all
it reasonably could do to try to prevent the attacks, and whether they
were confident in the ability of the United States government to
prevent future terrorist attacks against America. Assuming that the
United States is able to identify the groups and/or nations
responsible for the attacks, those queried were asked whether they
would support taking military action in response. Respondents were
asked whether they would feel the same way if military action meant
that innocent civilians in other countries might be injured or killed
and if military action resulted in a long war with large numbers of
troops injured or killed. Those queried were asked whether they
believed that the United States would go to war as a result of
Tuesday's attacks. Respondents' opinions were elicited on Osama bin
Laden, a suspect in the recent attacks, who reportedly lived in
Afghanistan and was indicted for directing previous terrorist
attacks. They were asked whether they would support attacking
Afghanistan militarily if Afghanistan did not turn bin Laden over to
the United States. Respondents were also asked whether they would
support new laws that would make it easier for the FBI and other
authorities to investigate suspected terrorists, giving up some of
their personal liberties and privacy as a result of such laws, and
whether they would support new airport security measures that might
cause long delays in air travel. Those surveyed were asked about their
personal safety concerns regarding upcoming air travel and whether
they had cancelled or were planning to cancel future travel
plans. Additional topics covered whether the attacks had made
respondents more suspicious of people of Arab descent, how their
children were reacting to the acts of terrorism, and whether the
economy was heading into a recession. Background information on
respondents includes age, gender, political party, children in
household, and frequency of air travel.