Terrorism has vaulted to the nation’s No. 1 issue as Americans say they are as concerned about attacks as they were after the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, according to a new poll.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll said that virtually everybody has heard of the ISIS attacks in Paris, pushing terrorism into a tie with the economy, not global warming as Democratic candidates have claimed.
The poll also found that 60 percent of Americans want Washington to do more to attack ISIS, though they prefer air strikes over troop involvement.
The details of the poll:
— Since Saturday afternoon, 88% of Americans have heard of the Paris attacks.
— As a result, terrorism has tied economy as the number 1 issue facing the nation.
— About 1/3 of Americans are concerned about their safety across a number of public venues. Most pronounced at public rallies (42% concerned).
— These concern levels are largely in line with attitudes immediately following the bombings at the Boston Marathon in 2013
— 60% of Americans say the US should do more to attack ISIS.
— A majority (52%) of Americans say taking in refugees from Syria makes the host country less safe from terrorism.
— People are strongly divided on if countries should take in refugees anyway (40%) or bar refugees from ISIS countries (41%).
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
