Washington Post September 11th Poll, September 2002

This special topic poll, conducted September 3-6, 2002, was undertaken to assess respondents' opinions of the way the United States was conducting the campaign against terrorism. Those polled were asked whether the terrorist attacks changed their country and their personal lives, whether the United States campaign against terrorism was going well, whether they felt that they personally could be victims of a terrorist attack, whether they considered Saudi Arabia to be an ally or an enemy of the United States, whether they would support new laws that would make terrorist investigation easier, and whether up until the time the survey was done the media had played too much/too little attention to the anniversary of the September 11th attack. They also expressed their level of confidence in the ability of the United States government to prevent further terrorist attacks, and their level of support for United States forces taking military action to force Saddam Hussein from power. Opinions were also gathered on whether the United States government, in conducting a war on terrorism, was doing enough to protect the rights of Americans, Arab Americans, American Muslims, and people under terrorist investigation. The poll elicited respondents' views on the way President George W. Bush was handling his presidency, the economy, environmental issues, the federal budget, education, Social Security, and the United States campaign against terrorism. Respondents also answered a set of question regarding the election for the United States House of Representatives. They were asked which party, the Democratic Party or the Republican Party, they would vote for if the election were held that day, whether they approved of the way their representatives to the United States House of Representatives were handling their jobs, and whether they would re-elect their representatives in Congress in the next election. Those polled expressed their level of confidence in the Bush administration, the United States Supreme Court, Congress, the military, the news media, the presidency, and church and other organized religion, as well as their confidence in the ability of the government in Washington to solve economic, national security, and domestic (health care, education, Social Security, etc.) problems. Additionally, they were asked whether they trusted people in general, whether they thought that people were helpful or just looking out for themselves, and whether they were proud of America. Background information on respondents includes gender, age, education, political party affiliation, political orientation, race, Hispanic origin, and subjective size of community.