Poll finds Americans fear domestic extremists more than foreign threats
FILE-Pilots and airline workers from both United and American Airlines participate in a wreath laying ceremony for their colleagues who were killed on September 11 at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum on September 10, 2025, in New York
Americans are now more concerned about attacks by domestic extremists than by foreign groups based on data from a recent poll.
In a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found, respondents were asked to name the largest threat to the safety of average Americans, and 33% selected "domestic terrorism," while 20% picked foreign terror and 42% cited random acts of violence like mass shootings.
The poll was conducted online with a survey of 1,167 Americans across the country between August 28-31.
More than half of Americans admit fears of domestic extremism
Dig deeper:
The United States has experienced its various domestic-inspired attacks through the years, including recent assassination attempts targeting President Donald Trump, conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder in September 2025 and the 2016 mass shooting that killed 49 people at a Florida gay nightclub.
When people were asked in the Reuters/Ipsos pool which ideology-driven attacks are the bigger threat, 61% selected domestic extremists and 34% picked those from other countries.
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The legacy of the 9/11 attacks also was a factor, the survey noted, with six in 10 people admitting they periodically think about the terrorist attacks and about the same number stating they would support a military response if there were another major attack.
However, respondents do not believe that the wars that followed 9/11 were worth the cost. Approximately 48% admit the war in Afghanistan was not worth its toll, compared with 21% who said it was, while the rest of the people asked this question were unsure or didn't respond to the question. Additionally, the Iraq war was also unpopular, with 51% disapproving and 21% approving.
Americans admit 9/11 permanently altered the way people live
The other side:
Gallup released a separate poll centered on how the 9/11 terrorist attacks 25 years ago have permanently altered the way people live.
Sixty-four percent of respondents believe that people have permanently changed the way they live because of the terrorist attacks, tying a high in Gallup’s trend, first documented five years ago on the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
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Results from Gallup’s new poll are from Aug. 3-24, which was conducted in the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Prior to the new findings, Gallup noted that fewer people held this perspective, including 58% on the 10th anniversary and 53% on the fifth anniversary of 9/11.
Meanwhile, respondents to the new survey believe people have permanently changed the way they live than say they personally have done so. Twenty-eight percent of people admit they have permanently changed the way they live.
Americans support increased security
Big picture view:
In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, about six in 10 Americans believe the federal government’s response to the September 11 attacks has been somewhat effective in preventing attacks against Americans on U.S. soil.
Among political groups, approximately 71% of Democrats and 75% of Republicans think the elevated airport security established after the September 11 attacks has been worth the interruptions to travelers' trips.
People also support government-run airport security, with 23% supporting an idea studied by the Trump administration that would replace federal security with private contractors. Forty-eight percent were opposed, according to the poll.
Moreover, the expansion of domestic surveillance after 2001 has been less popular, with 65% against allowing U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor electronic communications of Americans without a warrant.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a Gallup poll conducted from Aug. 3-24, which was conducted in the weeks leading up to the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted online with a survey of 1,167 Americans across the country between August 28-31. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.