WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- Seven in10 Americans expects a major terrorist attack on the United States within the next five years, according to a new nationwide poll.
The poll, which was conducted by Zogby America, finds Americans would rather their government prepare for a nuclear attack or a major disease outbreak than a natural disaster.
The survey of 1,200 adults nationwide, conducted from July 26 through
30, 2005, has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.
The seven in 10 who expect a major attack on U.S. soil includes 41 percent who believe attacks will come sooner, within two years or less, and 14 percent who expect terror attacks within a year. The concern about terror attacks crosses party lines, with both Republicans and Democrats expecting terror on similar timetables.
The survey finds residents of the Western United States the most concerned about new terror attacks, with 74 percent anticipating violence within five years and 49 percent expecting attacks in two years or less. Residents of the Eastern United States are nearly as worried, with 73 percent believing terror attacks will come within five years and 44 percent seeing them in two years or less.
Southerners and residents of the Central/Great Lakes region are somewhat less concerned than their coastal counterparts.
Residents of large cities are more concerned about terror attacks within the next two years than those who live elsewhere; while half of urban dwellers see attacks in two years or sooner, just 35 percent of suburbanites, 37 percent of small city residents, and 43 percent of those living in rural areas see terror attacks in two years or less.
