Six Months Later: American Attitudes and Beliefs Changed by 9/11

1. Michael W. Traugott The University of Michigan Reactions to Terrorism: Attitudes and Anxieties Washington DC June 18, 2002 Six Months Later: American Attitudes and Beliefs Changed by 9/11

2. Beginning on the afternoon of September 11, a multidisciplinary group of ISR researchers assembled to consider how they could contribute to an understanding of the impact of the attacks on the World Trade Center. The group included economists, political scientists, psychologists, sociologists, demographers, and survey methodologists.We decided that fielding a longitudinal study to measure attitudes and behaviors and how they were related – and disseminating the findings widely – would be an appropriate and useful contribution.

3. MAIN HYPOTHESES H: Symptoms of stress would increase in both the short and longer term H: Support for restrictions in civil liberties would increase in exchange for greater personal security. These attitudes would be sustained until perceived safety and security returned H: Stereotyping of minority groups would increase, especially for groups connected to the events

4. DESIGN OF THE HAR SURVEY A list-assisted sample was drawn for a national sample of telephone households. The Wave 1 field period started on September 17 and ran until October 17, with the bulk of interviewing completed by October 8. The final N was 752. The Wave 2 interviewing began on March 11, and the field period ended April 16. The final N was 613 recontacts and 151 new RDD respondents.

5. RESULTS The analysis presented here focuses on four main areas: 1. Personal reactions to the attacks 2. Psychological responses to the attacks 3. Effects on children and families 4. Attitudes about civil liberties and anti-terrorism measures

6. REACTIONS TO THE ATTACKS

7. The Attacks Have Affected People’s Sense of Safety and Security

8. The Recontact Interviews Suggest Little Has Changed

9. Gender Differences in Perception of Safety and SecurityThese differences do not appear by race or age

10. Americans Followed the News about the Attacks Closely

11. Americans Are Not Following the News about the “War on Terrorism” as Closely How Closely Have You Been Following the News about the “War

12. Attention to the News Is Related to a Lowered Sense of Safety

13. How Do the September 11 Attacks Compare to Other Events?

14. Americans Are Concerned About Further Attacks, More So Elsewhere than in Their Own Community

15. Americans Believe the Chances of a Bioterrorism Attack Are High, More So Elsewhere than in Their Own Community

16. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSES TO THE ATTACKS

17. Comparison of Depressive Symptoms over Time

18. Sense of Personal Safety and Security Is Related to Symptoms of Depression

19. Levels of Depression in the Population Are Declining Slightly

20. Feelings of Mastery Are Increasing Slightly

21. EFFECTS ON CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

22. Parents Report that Children Experienced Elevated Levels of Anxiety

23. Altered Perceptions of Safety and Security Related to Presence of Children

24. ATTITUDES ABOUT CIVIL LIBERTIES

25. Sustained Security Loss Related to Greater Support for Anti-Terror Policies

26. Favorability Assessments of American Ethnic Groups Are Higher than Recently These evaluations have not changed across the last six months

27. Favorability of Ethnic Groups in the United States and Overseas These evaluations have not changed across the past six months.

28. CONCLUSIONS The impact of the attacks on 9/11 has been relatively severe and durable Adult Americans are coping personally, but the greater damage may be to civil society and confidence in institutions Americans’ loss of a sense of personal safety and security persists and is complicated by the difficulty of the government: 1. Keeping the country on alert to minimize harm 2. Defining a clear “result” in the “war on terrorism” that the public understands and can accept 3. Producing a satisfactory “result” on a timely basis in what is described as a protracted effort