SURVEY METHODOLOGY • From June 1, 2011 to June 8, 2011, Penn Schoen Berland conducted 2,017 interviews with the adult general population of the United States. Of the 2,017 interviews completed, 1,008 interviews were conducted by phone and 1,009 interviews were conducted online. • The data presented in this study is reflective of the U.S. Census Bureau demographic statistics in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, region, and urbanicity. 1 Sample Size Margin of Error General Population (All), including: 2,017 ±2.18% Male 968 ±3.15% Female 1,049 ±3.03% Age 18-29 444 ±4.65% Age 30-44 545 ±4.20% Age 45-64 686 ±3.74% Age 65+ 343 ±5.29% Democrats 625 ±3.92% Republicans 585 ±4.05% Independents/Undecided 807 ±3.45% Less than $75K annual income 1,392 ±2.63% $75K+ annual income 524 ±4.28% College degree 629 ±3.91% No college degree 1,357 ±2.66% White 1372 ±2.65% African-American 242 ±6.3% Hispanic 262 ±6.05%
Full report of TIME/Aspen Ideas Festival 2011 poll conducted by Penn Schoen Berland.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
SURVEY METHODOLOGY • From June 1, 2011 to June 8, 2011, Penn Schoen Berland conducted 2,017 interviews with
the adult general population of the United States. Of the 2,017 interviews completed, 1,008 interviews were conducted by phone and 1,009 interviews were conducted online.
• The data presented in this study is reflective of the U.S. Census Bureau demographic statistics in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, region, and urbanicity.
1
Sample Size Margin of Error General Population (All), including: 2,017 ±2.18%
Male 968 ±3.15% Female 1,049 ±3.03% Age 18-29 444 ±4.65% Age 30-44 545 ±4.20% Age 45-64 686 ±3.74% Age 65+ 343 ±5.29% Democrats 625 ±3.92% Republicans 585 ±4.05% Independents/Undecided 807 ±3.45% Less than $75K annual income 1,392 ±2.63% $75K+ annual income 524 ±4.28% College degree 629 ±3.91% No college degree 1,357 ±2.66% White 1372 ±2.65% African-American 242 ±6.3% Hispanic 262 ±6.05%
KEY FINDINGS The Decade’s Defining Moment: September 11, 2001
• 41% of respondents cite September 11, 2001 as the single most important event of the past decade
• 63% of Americans think that the events of 9/11 weakened the U.S. and only 6% believe that the country has completely recovered from the events of 9/11
• 71% are satisfied with the government’s response to September 11, 2001 (23% not satisfied) and 41% say the government could have taken additional actions to respond to the events (35% say no additional actions should have been taken)
A Decade of Decline
• 68% of respondents think the past decade has been one of decline for the United States as a country, while only 23% believe the U.S. has progressed as a country in the past 10 years
• 71% of Americans believe that the U.S. is in a worse position today than it was a decade ago, while only 11% think the country is in a better position
• 47% say the past decade was one of the worst decades in the past century, 32% say it was about the same as other decades in the past century, while only 13% believe it was one of the best
Americans Blame their Political Leaders, not Terrorists, for the Decline
• Among the 71% of respondents who think the country is in a worse position, there is a clear consensus that their leaders are most to blame: 23% most blame the Bush Administration, 20% blame the Obama Administration, and 16% cite the U.S. Congress
• Only 7% of the American people who think the U.S. is now in a worse position than a decade ago believe that terrorist groups are most to blame for it
KEY FINDINGS (CONTINUED) The Enemy is Within: Economic Issues are Paramount
• 66% think the greatest threats to long-term stability in the United States come primarily from within the United States, not from outside (27%)
• 75% say that economic concerns present a greater threat to the current stability of the U.S. than national security concerns – only 18% think the reverse is more accurate
• Only 10% of Americans think that these internal threats are being addressed very effectively (another 32% say somewhat effectively, but 53% say not effectively)
• 62% of respondents think that the U.S. is too involved in international affairs (10% say that it is not involved enough) and 83% say the U.S. needs to focus on domestic, not international, issues in the next decade – only 12% say the focus should be international
A Major Terrorist Attack is Likely in the Next Decade
• 78% say it is likely that a major terrorist attack will take place in the U.S. in the next decade (35% say very likely and 43% say somewhat likely)
• 49% of respondents are concerned that they will become a victim of terrorism in the next decade (versus 48% who say they are not concerned about the possibility)
• 41% of Americans think that the killing of bin Laden has increased the threat of terrorism against the U.S. (19% say it has decreased the threat) and only 31% say the killing of bin Laden gives them a sense of closure (56% say the killing does not give them closure)
Time to Leave Afghanistan; Democratic Elections in Middle East Perceived to Have Little Impact on U.S. National Interests
• 2 in 5 Americans think that President Obama’s timeline to end U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by 2014 is too slow, 38% think it is about right, while 10% perceive the timeline as too fast
• Fewer than 3 in 10 Americans expect that the new governments in Tunisia and Egypt will be friendlier towards the U.S. or will work to reduce terrorism, while the rest expect no change (1 in 3) or a turn for the worse (1 in 5)
• Independents, young Americans (18-29), and those with a college degree are less likely than other sub-groups to be satisfied with the domestic response
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
Went too far 26 31 22 30 29 23 24 24 21 32 26 28 24 33 26 20 30
Do you think the government’s response to 9/11 within the United States, including the Patriot Act, enhanced security at airports, and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security went too far and encroached on American civil liberties or was
the response justified as a means of protecting American citizens?
26% 62% 12%
Went too far Justified Don't Know
PLURALITY SAYS THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN ADDITIONAL ACTIONS AFTER 9/11
• Men, Hispanics, and those with an annual income exceeding $75,000 are the three sub-groups most likely to say that the government should have taken additional actions
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College
Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
• Democrats, those with a higher level of income, and those respondents with a college degree are more likely than other sub-groups to say that some actions that were taken should not have been taken as a response to 9/11
26% 55% 19%
Yes No Don't Know
Thinking about the government’s response to 9/11, did the government take actions that you think should NOT have been taken?
ACTIONS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN RESPONSE TO 9/11
• Those who say the U.S. should not have taken certain actions following 9/11 primarily cite the invasion of Iraq
IF ACTIONS SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN (N=526): What actions should not have been taken? OPEN-END
* A word cloud is a visual representation of free-form text, with a larger font size indicating a greater number of respondents referenced the term in their response
39% 55% 6%
Yes No Don't Know
2 IN 5 SAY THEIR DAILY LIVES ARE STILL AFFECTED BY THE EVENTS OF 9/11
• Hispanics are most likely to say that the events of 9/11 still affect their daily lives, while those respondents age 18-29 are least likely to say they feel the effect of the events on a daily basis
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
* A word cloud is a visual representation of free-form text, with a larger font size indicating a greater number of respondents referenced the term in their response
81% 12% 7%
The U.S. felt more vulnerable than ever to a potential attack Did not really change the country emotionally Don't Know
4 IN 5 THINK THE COUNTRY FELT MORE VULNERABLE THAN EVER AFTER 9/11
After the events of 9/11 do you think the country went through an emotional change– do you think the U.S. felt more vulnerable than ever to a potential attack or did the events of 9/11 not
• Republicans, respondents age 65+, and men are more likely to say that 9/11 led to a necessary conversation, while young Americans (18-29), Democrats, and minorities are more likely to say it raised intolerance towards minorities
The events of 9/11 led to a necessary
conversation about the
allegiance to the United States of certain groups of
people.
The events of 9/11 senselessly
raised intolerance toward minorities
living in the United States.
Which is closer to your view?
2 IN 5 SAY AMERICANS HAVE BECOME MORE TOLERANT OVER THE PAST DECADE
About the same 28 29 27 28 25 27 33 24 31 28 27 31 27 29 29 28 20
Don’t know 4 4 4 6 4 3 5 4 4 5 4 2 5 3 4 4 4
Do you generally think that Americans are more tolerant today of other people, less tolerant, or are they about as tolerant of other people as they were a decade ago?
39%
29%
28%
4%
More tolerant
Less tolerant
About the same
Don't know
SOME SAY AMERICANS HAVE BECOME LESS TOLERANT OF MUSLIMS
• Fewer than 1 in 4 of respondents think that it has been a decade of progress; African-Americans are the most likely sub-group to say that the pass decade has been one of progress (43% versus 23% of all respondents)
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
• White Americans are significantly more likely than racial minorities to perceive it as one of the worst decades
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
One of the best 13 15 11 15 14 12 10 17 11 11 13 12 15 9 9 21 23
One of the worst 47 47 47 40 47 50 51 42 51 48 47 47 45 51 52 34 34
About the same 32 32 33 36 31 31 32 32 30 34 31 35 31 34 31 37 35
Don’t know 8 6 9 9 8 7 7 9 8 7 8 7 9 6 8 8 8
In your opinion, how does the past decade compare to the other decades in the past hundred years? Would you say this past decade has been one of the best in the past century, one of the
worst, or has it been about the same?
13%
47% 32%
8%
One of the best
One of the worst About the same
Don't know
17% 20% 25% 41% 37%
22% 22% 32% 23% 25% 31% 19% 9% 10%
14%
15% 16% 17% 23%
33% 41% 44% 48%
55%
70% 64% 55%
16% 38%
54% 32% 24% 24% 19% 15% 11%
Declined Improved Stayed the same
RESPONDENTS SAY THE OVERALL QUALITY OF LIFE HAS DECLINED FOR MANY AMERICANS
Please indicate whether you think the overall quality of life has improved, declined, or stayed the same in the past decade for each of the following groups of people living in the United States.
Showing All
Gays and lesbians
Upper class Americans
Hispanics Immigrants African-
Americans
Muslims
Young adults
Caucasians
Jews
Seniors Middle class Americans Working class
Americans
DETERIORATED RELATIONSHIPS WITH MANY FOREIGN COUNTRIES
• Those Americans with a college degree and those whose annual income exceeds $75,000 are more likely than those without a degree or those respondents with less than $75,000 to think that major threats originate within the U.S.
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
Within the U.S. 66 69 63 62 70 65 64 62 68 66 62 76 62 75 68 55 59
Outside the U.S. 27 26 28 28 23 29 29 30 26 25 30 18 30 20 25 34 32
Don’t Know 7 5 10 10 7 6 7 7 6 8 7 6 8 5 7 11 9
Do the greatest threats to long-term stability in the United States come primarily from within the United States or do they come from outside the United States?
75% 18%
ECONOMIC, NOT NATIONAL SECURITY, CONCERNS PRESENT A GREATER THREAT
• White Americans are more likely than African-Americans or Hispanics to view economic concerns as a greater threat to the current stability of the U.S.
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College
Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
Economic concerns present a greater threat to the current stability of the U.S.
Please indicate whether each of the following presents a major threat, minor threat, or no threat at all to long-term stability in the United States. Showing % Major threat
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income
College Degree
Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
• African-Americans and Hispanics are the two sub-groups most likely to say that the threats affecting the long-term stability are mostly outside the country’s control
The threats affecting the long-
term stability of the U.S. are mostly
WITHIN our control as a country.
The threats affecting the long-
term stability of the U.S. are mostly OUTSIDE our control as a
country.
Which is closer to your view?
10% 32% 36% 17%
Very effectively Somewhat effectively Not very effectively Not at all effectively
ONLY 10% THINK THAT INTERNAL THREATS ARE BEING ADDRESSED VERY EFFECTIVELY
Not at all effectively 17 21 13 11 18 19 19 9 21 19 15 22 15 21 20 7 11
Don’t know 6 4 7 9 5 5 4 6 3 8 6 2 8 2 4 9 11
How effectively are we, as a country, addressing the threats that are WITHIN our control?
INTERNAL THREATS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED MORE EFFECTIVELY
• The economy, jobs, government spending, budget deficit, national debt, immigration, healthcare, and education are the primary threats within our control that Americans do not feel are being addressed effectively
IF NOT EFFECTIVELY (N=1,040): What specific threats that are WITHIN our control, are not being addressed effectively? OPEN-END
* A word cloud is a visual representation of free-form text, with a larger font size indicating a greater number of respondents referenced the term in their response
28% 62% 10%
Right direction Wrong direction Don't know
MAJORITY THINKS THE COUNTRY IS GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION
• Younger Americans think the influence has grown, while older respondents are more likely to think that the role the U.S. plays internationally has diminished
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
About the same 31 29 33 35 29 32 27 33 29 31 31 29 32 28 29 33 39
Don’t know 5 4 6 7 6 4 4 7 4 6 6 3 7 3 4 8 7
Thinking about the past decade, do you think the United States’ influence in the international affairs has increased, diminished, or stayed about the same?
35%
29% 31%
5%
Increased
Diminished
About the same
Don't know
83% 12% 5%
Domestic issues International affairs Don't Know
AMERICANS WANT THEIR LEADERS TO FOCUS ON DOMESTIC ISSUES
• Those respondents with a college degree are more likely than those without a degree to say the country needs to focus on domestic issues in the next decade
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
• Unlike the rest of the sub-groups, African-Americans are more likely to think that the next terrorist attack would be carried out by domestic terrorists rather than foreign terrorists
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
If a major terrorist attack were to take place in the U.S., do you think it is more likely to be carried out by foreign terrorists or home-grown terrorists?
53% 33% 14%
Increase spending No additional money Don't Know
MAJORITY WANTS MORE MONEY SPENT ON THE SECURITY OF TRAINS, PORTS
• Young Americans (age 18-29) are significantly less likely to say that the government should increase spending to improve security of trains and ports
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income
College Attainmen
t Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
Do you think the United States should increase spending to improve security of trains, ports, and other less secure areas, or should the U.S. not spend additional money to
secure them as tightly as airports?
FEW VIEW THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AS CAPABLE OF PREVENTING AN ATTACK
For each of the following individuals and groups, please indicate how confident you are that they are capable of protecting the United States from a terrorist attack.
Showing All 16%
19%
20%
23%
24%
30%
41%
44%
47%
52%
56%
56%
68%
85%
34%
37%
39%
61%
50%
40%
46%
41%
40%
39%
34%
35%
21%
8%
50%
45%
41%
16%
26%
30%
13%
15%
13%
10%
9%
9%
11%
8%
Jon Huntsman
Tim Pawlenty
Michele Bachmann
Sarah Palin
Newt Gingrich
Mitt Romney
The Democratic Party
The Republican Party
The TSA
Barack Obama
The federal government
Local law enforcement
The CIA
The U.S. military Confident Not Confident Don't know
41%
19% 31%
9%
Increased Decreased No effect Don't know
PLURALITY SAYS THE KILLING OF BIN LADEN HAS INCREASED THE THREAT OF TERRORISM
In your opinion, has the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces increased the threat of terrorism against the United States, decreased, or has it had no effect on the threat of
terrorism against the U.S.?
37% 56% 7%
Yes No Don't Know
THE KILLING OF BIN LADEN GIVES A SENSE OF CLOSURE TO FEWER THAN 2 IN 5 AMERICANS
• 3 in 5 believe that we have set the terrorist group back, but not defeated it Do you think we have defeated Al Qaeda, set it back some but not defeated, or not made
much impact?
41%
8% 41%
11%
The U.S. and its allies Terrorist groups
Neither side
Don't know
2 IN 5 THINK THE U.S. AND ITS ALLIES ARE WINNING THE WAR AGAINST TERRORISM
Would you say the policies of the Bush Administration have made the U.S. much safer from terrorism, somewhat safer, somewhat less safe, or much less safe from terrorism?
14% 40% 17% 18%
Much safer Somewhat safer Somewhat less safe Much less safe
13% 44% 16% 15%
Much safer Somewhat safer Somewhat less safe Much less safe
57% THINK THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION POLICIES HAVE MADE THE U.S. AT LEAST
Would you say the policies of the Obama Administration have made the U.S. much safer from terrorism, somewhat safer, somewhat less safe, or much less safe from terrorism?
69% 15%
16%
Knowingly harbored Osama bin Laden
Did not know his location
Don't know
7 IN 10 THINK THAT PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS KNOWINGLY HARBORED BIN LADEN
Do you think the U.S. should seek to improve its relationship with Pakistan, scale back the relationship, break off the relationship entirely, or should it keep the
relationship where it is now?
77% 3% 12%
8%
Cut back
Increased
Kept about the same
Don't know
3 IN 4 WANT THE U.S. TO CUT BACK ITS FOREIGN AID TO PAKISTAN
Kept about the same 12 12 12 16 10 12 12 16 10 11 12 13 11 14 11 15 13
Don’t know 8 6 10 13 8 6 5 8 5 10 8 5 9 5 7 13 10
In 2011 the United States government has promised roughly $4.5 billion in military and non-military aid to Pakistan. In the future, do you think the amount of aid to
Pakistan should be…?
NEW YORK • WASHINGTON • DENVER • SEATTLE • LOS ANGELES • SAN FRANCISCO • AUSTIN• LONDON • HONG KONG • BEIJING • DUBAI
TIME TO LEAVE AFGHANISTAN; DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN MIDDLE EAST PERCEIVED TO HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON U.S. NATIONAL INTERESTS
The Obama Administration plans to end the U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by 2014. Do you think the pace of the planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is too fast, too
slow, or about right?
34%
27% 27%
13%
Increased Decreased No effect Don't know
ONLY 27% BELIEVE THAT THE AFGHAN WAR HAS DECREASED THE THREAT OF TERRORISM
In your opinion, has the U.S. Military involvement in Afghanistan increased the threat of terrorism against the United States, decreased, or has it had no effect on the threat of
terrorism against the U.S.?
MAJORITY SAYS NO DEAL SHOULD EVER BE MADE WITH THE TALIBAN
• Democrats are more likely than other groups to say the government needs to focus on the economy and jobs, while Republicans are more likely than other to cite deficit and government spending as the top priority
Which one of the following issues do you think the president and Congress should focus on right now?
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College
Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
• Only 28% of Hispanics believe that the overall quality of life for immigrants has improved over the past 10 years
Please indicate whether you think the overall quality of life has improved, declined, or stayed the same in the past decade for each of the following groups of people living in the United States. Showing % Improved/ Declined
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College
Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
In the past decade, has each of the following country’s relationship with the U.S. improved, deteriorated, or remained the same? Showing % Improved/ Deteriorated
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College
Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
For each of the following individuals and groups, please indicate how confident you are that they are capable of protecting the United States from a terrorist attack. Showing % Confident
All
Gender Age Political Affiliation Income College Attainment Race
M F 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ D R I <$75k >$75k No Yes White AA Hisp
The U.S. military 85 87 82 78 84 88 87 86 91 78 83 89 83 86 86 83 77 The CIA 68 71 65 66 68 67 72 70 73 62 65 81 64 75 68 69 63 The federal government 56 56 55 56 62 54 49 68 49 51 54 64 55 58 52 68 57 Local law enforcement 56 56 56 51 59 53 63 57 59 53 55 62 54 59 57 54 52 Barack Obama 52 52 50 59 61 48 32 76 28 49 46 52 51 51 43 75 60 The Transportation Security Administration (TSA)