By Edith Honan
NEW YORK, April 17 (Reuters) – Most Americans see the
biggest threat to public safety coming from random acts of
violence committed by other Americans, rather than foreign
terrorism, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken in the two
days since the Boston Marathon bombing.
The poll suggested that Americans have been left on edge
following a string of attacks, at a Colorado movie theater, at a
Sikh temple in Wisconsin, at a Connecticut elementary school and
now at the Boston Marathon, all since July.
Asked which events pose the biggest threat to the safety of
average Americans, 56 percent of respondents said random acts of
violence, such as mass shootings, committed by Americans; 32
percent said foreign terrorism committed by non-Americans; and
13 percent said politically or religiously motivated domestic
terrorism committed by Americans.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they believed an
incident like the Boston Marathon attack could happen in their
area. A minority of respondents, 42 percent, said the Boston
incident had left them more fearful for the safety of themselves
and their families.
Two bombs exploded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon
on Monday in the worst attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001.
The attack killed three people, injured 176 others and left 10
people with amputated limbs.
The incident followed three mass shootings that have shaken
the country. In July, a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in
Aurora, Colorado; the next month, a gunman opened fire at a Sikh
temple in Wisconsin; and in December, a man forced his way into
Sandy Hook Elementary School where he shot and killed 20
children and six adults.
If Americans are fearful of another attack on U.S. soil,
they are also overwhelmingly positive about the response of
their elected officials. In the aftermath of the Boston attack,
more than two-thirds of poll respondents approve of President
Barack Obama and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s handling
of the crisis.
At the same time, more than half voiced concern that events
like the Boston bombing would lead to infringements into their
rights as American citizens.
The poll was conducted online between April 16 and 17. There
were 520 respondents. The precision of this poll is measured
using a credibility interval and is accurate to within 4.9
percent.
(Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
