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Americans Still Concerned About Terrorism?

Aired July 29, 2003 - 15:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are joined now by Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Polling Administration.
Frank, earlier, Jeanne Meserve told us about an advisory warning of possible terrorist activity aimed at the airline industry. You took this poll before that, but, in general, how concerned are people about terrorism?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Interesting question, Candy. Less so now than at any time since September 11. This is significant.

The question we asked is, how likely is it there will be another terrorist attack? I have graphed it for you since, oh, February of this year. You can see it was as high as 70 percent while the Iraqi war was imminent or under way. And now it has dropped all the way down to just 40 percent of Americans say it's likely another terrorist attack will take place soon. And, as I mentioned, in all the times we've asked this question since 9/11, that's as low as it gets.

Some people may say it's simply complacency. Or maybe Americans think that the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism. However, we don't really find that. We have asked that question: Who's winning, the U.S., terrorists, or neither side? And I have graphed for you here this top line, the percent that say U.S. and its allies are winning. That had really shot up here during the Iraqi war, but now it's back down again, on the right-hand side.

But it is not, by any means, as low as it has been -- or as high as it has been before. So, Candy, I don't think that that complacency is really a result of thinking the U.S. has won. Probably, it just reflects the fact that there has not been a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

CROWLEY: Frank, it's not as big a headline as the war on terrorism or in Iraq, but Liberia has shown up in the headlines a lot. Is there support there for sending U.S. troops?

NEWPORT: The bottom line, yes.

It is somewhat dependent on what you stress when you ask people in the question how many troops are going, how long will they might stay. Obviously, Americans react to details. The way we have asked it a couple of different times, no question about it. U.S. troops committed to peacekeeping in Liberia, gone from 57 in July, now up to 63 percent. That's a pretty big yes from the American public, Candy. CROWLEY: So let me turn to my favorite subject, politics. Here at home, some Democrats are trying to keep the party from going too far to the left. The DLC has spoken out against Howard Dean this week again. How is that race shaping up?

NEWPORT: Well, people have talked about Dean and the fund- raising, the Internet, the momentum behind the Dean campaign.

He's moved up a few points in our latest ranking, as I'll show you here. But, basically, Candy, there is no front-runner. Each time we ask this of registered Democrats, it looks roughly the same: Lieberman slightly ahead, Gephardt and Kerry. None of the above come in there at 12 percent. And then Howard Dean is at 11. He is in double digits. Before that, he was not. Basically, no major change, no front-runner.

However, there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps, for Dean or some of the others down way down in single digits, Candy. Remember back. Bill Clinton was an asterisk, so to speak, in a poll just like this back in 1991. So was Jimmy Carter back in 1975. So anything can change between now and New Hampshire, which is just around the corner in January.

CROWLEY: Thanks so much, Frank Newport. It makes it a lot more fun for us when there is no front-runner. We'll talk to you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired July 29, 2003 - 15:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: We are joined now by Frank Newport, editor in chief of the Gallup Polling Administration.
Frank, earlier, Jeanne Meserve told us about an advisory warning of possible terrorist activity aimed at the airline industry. You took this poll before that, but, in general, how concerned are people about terrorism?

FRANK NEWPORT, EDITOR IN CHIEF, GALLUP POLL: Interesting question, Candy. Less so now than at any time since September 11. This is significant.

The question we asked is, how likely is it there will be another terrorist attack? I have graphed it for you since, oh, February of this year. You can see it was as high as 70 percent while the Iraqi war was imminent or under way. And now it has dropped all the way down to just 40 percent of Americans say it's likely another terrorist attack will take place soon. And, as I mentioned, in all the times we've asked this question since 9/11, that's as low as it gets.

Some people may say it's simply complacency. Or maybe Americans think that the U.S. is winning the war on terrorism. However, we don't really find that. We have asked that question: Who's winning, the U.S., terrorists, or neither side? And I have graphed for you here this top line, the percent that say U.S. and its allies are winning. That had really shot up here during the Iraqi war, but now it's back down again, on the right-hand side.

But it is not, by any means, as low as it has been -- or as high as it has been before. So, Candy, I don't think that that complacency is really a result of thinking the U.S. has won. Probably, it just reflects the fact that there has not been a terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

CROWLEY: Frank, it's not as big a headline as the war on terrorism or in Iraq, but Liberia has shown up in the headlines a lot. Is there support there for sending U.S. troops?

NEWPORT: The bottom line, yes.

It is somewhat dependent on what you stress when you ask people in the question how many troops are going, how long will they might stay. Obviously, Americans react to details. The way we have asked it a couple of different times, no question about it. U.S. troops committed to peacekeeping in Liberia, gone from 57 in July, now up to 63 percent. That's a pretty big yes from the American public, Candy. CROWLEY: So let me turn to my favorite subject, politics. Here at home, some Democrats are trying to keep the party from going too far to the left. The DLC has spoken out against Howard Dean this week again. How is that race shaping up?

NEWPORT: Well, people have talked about Dean and the fund- raising, the Internet, the momentum behind the Dean campaign.

He's moved up a few points in our latest ranking, as I'll show you here. But, basically, Candy, there is no front-runner. Each time we ask this of registered Democrats, it looks roughly the same: Lieberman slightly ahead, Gephardt and Kerry. None of the above come in there at 12 percent. And then Howard Dean is at 11. He is in double digits. Before that, he was not. Basically, no major change, no front-runner.

However, there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps, for Dean or some of the others down way down in single digits, Candy. Remember back. Bill Clinton was an asterisk, so to speak, in a poll just like this back in 1991. So was Jimmy Carter back in 1975. So anything can change between now and New Hampshire, which is just around the corner in January.

CROWLEY: Thanks so much, Frank Newport. It makes it a lot more fun for us when there is no front-runner. We'll talk to you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com