A new YouGov survey conducted ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks found that 13% of Democrats believe Americans devote too much attention to 9/11, more than double the share of Republicans or independents who expressed that view.
The poll, conducted as the nation prepares to mark 25 years since the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on American soil, asked respondents to assess the place 9/11 continues to occupy in American life. Specifically, participants were asked, “Do Americans focus too much or too little on 9/11?”
Across all respondents, 46% said Americans give the attacks the “right amount” of attention. Another 28% said 9/11 receives “too little” attention, while 19% were unsure. Just 6% of those surveyed said Americans focus on the attacks “too much.”
The partisan breakdown showed significant differences. Among Republicans, 44% said the country gives 9/11 the “right amount of focus,” while nearly as many — 43% — said the attacks receive “too little” attention. Only 5% of Republicans said there is “too much” focus on 9/11. Among independents, 44% said the current level of attention is appropriate, 21% said there is too little focus, and 6% said there is too much.
Democrats were considerably more likely to say the attacks receive excessive attention. Thirteen percent — more than one in eight — said there is “too much” focus on 9/11, the highest percentage among the three political groups. At the same time, 51% of Democrats said the attacks receive the proper amount of attention, while 19% said Americans focus on them too little. That 19% figure was lower than the corresponding share among both independents and Republicans.
The survey also found widespread concern about how well younger generations understand what occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. Fifty-four percent of respondents said Americans who were born after 2001 generally “do not have a good understanding” of the attacks.
YouGov also found partisan differences in how Americans view the lasting effects of 9/11:
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say the Sept. 11 attacks are affecting a lot today the way Muslims are treated in the U.S. (71% vs. 42%) and U.S. immigration policy (58% vs. 45%). Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say the attacks affect a lot today how patriotic Americans feel (51% vs. 29%) and national unity (35% vs. 24%).
The survey additionally examined attitudes toward the military campaigns, heightened security measures and expanded surveillance adopted by the United States in response to the threat of terrorism following the attacks.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has fought against the threat of terrorism through military operations abroad and increased security and surveillance inside of the U.S. About half (48%) of Americans — including 71% of Republicans and 37% of Democrats — think these actions have been worth the cost. 25% say they have not been worth the cost. 35% of Democrats and 12% of Republicans hold this view.
YouGov conducted the survey from Aug. 20 through Aug. 23 among 1,098 U.S. citizens. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
President Donald Trump, meanwhile, is expected to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the attacks at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., where he is reportedly scheduled to deliver remarks.
{Matzav.com}
