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ANN ARBOR—For many Americans shaken by September 11, the emotional insecurity continues, according to a University of Michigan survey released today that is among the first to go back to the same group of people to track changes over time in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

 Fig. 1About 11 percent of 613 Americans surveyed in March by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) are more shaken now than they were last fall. About three-quarters reported no change in the extent to which the attacks have affected their personal sense of safety and security, while only 13 percent are less shaken by the terror attacks than when they were first surveyed. (Fig. 1)

“The preliminary findings from this survey suggest that the psychological, social, and political effects of last fall’s events have been enduring,” says U-M political scientist Michael Traugott, a senior research scientist at the ISR who directed the second wave of the How Americans Respond survey. “Despite attempts by the government to assure Americans that homeland security is a priority, most Americans don’t feel any safer today than they did right after the attacks.”

Women were almost twice as likely as men to remain shaken, with about 46 percent of women compared to 24 percent of men surveyed in March reporting that their personal sense of safety and security has been shaken a good amount or a great deal.

 Fig. 2Respondents were also asked about a wide range of other personal safety and security concerns. About 42 percent of those surveyed had become more concerned than they were last fall that they themselves might suffer some physical harm, and about 80 percent were more concerned that other Americans might get hurt.

An overwhelming majority (84 percent) considered it somewhat or very likely that terrorist attacks or similar acts of violence would occur in the U.S. in the near future. A much smaller proportion (25 percent) of those surveyed thought such attacks were likely to occur in their own community. Only 15 percent of Midwesterners considered an attack likely in their own community, compared to 27 percent of residents of the West and Northeast and 28 percent of Southerners. (Fig. 2)

The ISR researchers also asked how concerned respondents were about their safety when doing a variety of activities. Among those who ordinarily engaged in the particular activity, 69 percent said they were more concerned about their safety when taking an airplane, while about 37 percent reported heightened safety concerns while attending a sporting event and 22 percent said they had become more concerned about their safety when going to a shopping mall. (Fig. 3)

Fig. 3Fig. 4

When asked what they thought the chance was that a major incident of bioterrorism that would directly affect 100 people or more would occur in the U.S. in the next five years, 77 percent of those surveyed said they thought the chances were 50-50 or greater, and 40 percent believed the chances were 70 percent or greater. (Fig. 4)

Attitudes about Homeland Security Measures and Civil LibertiesAbout 70 percent of those surveyed in March were willing to give up some of their civil liberties, reports Traugott, noting that the percentage is even higher among those concerned about their personal safety. Last fall the same percentage of Americans said they would be willing to give up some civil liberties, another indicator that the public remains shaken by the initial terror attacks, the subsequent anthrax attacks and the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. “Data showing this level of support for measures that limit personal liberties and expand law enforcement powers have not been seen in the last decade, including after the Oklahoma City bombing,” says Traugott.

Current support for specific homeland security measures varied, with about 90 percent favoring increased police presence in public places and new powers permitting the U.S. military to help police conduct anti-terrorist activities. About 70 percent say they would support a law requiring all adults in this country to carry a national identification card including their photograph and Social Security number. “I think the idea of a national identification card in this country used to be anathema,” says ISR psychologist Robert L. Kahn, “so this degree of support for such a law is indeed surprising.” About 53 percent support random police searches of people in public places. But slightly less than half support wiretapping conversations between detained suspects and their lawyers without a court order even with guarantees that the information obtained would not be used in court. Only 24 percent support giving police the power to stop and search at random anyone who appears to be Arab or Muslim. “People are most in favor of laws that improve security but remain impartial,” notes Kahn. “The more specifically groups are targeted by complexion or nationality, the less likely the public is to support these measures.” (Fig. 5)

 Fig. 5

U.S. immigrants, racial and ethnic groups, and Middle East nationsPublic attitudes toward racial and ethnic groups within the U.S and toward Israelis, Palestinians, and Arabs in the Middle East have remained stable since the first wave of the survey, conducted last fall. “Feeling thermometer” ratings, indicating the percentage of the public who rated various groups favorably, show that about 45 percent of Americans rate Muslin Americans favorably, 65 percent rate Jewish Americans favorably, and 66 percent rate Black Americans favorably. By comparison, about 42 percent rate Israelis favorably, 24 percent rate Palestinians favorably and 20 percent give a favorable rating to Arabs in the Middle East. “Intergroup feelings within the U.S. are still fairly positive while feelings remain fairly negative toward groups in the Middle East,” notes ISR psychologist James S. Jackson. “These negative feelings could be due to the continuing conflict in Afghanistan and on-going violence in the Middle East.”

Attitudes toward immigrants have changed slightly, however. In the fall, 87 percent of those surveyed agreed or strongly agreed that immigrants made America more open to new ideas and cultures, compared to 81 percent surveyed in March. About 24 percent agreed or strongly agreed that immigrants increase U.S. crime rates when surveyed last fall, compared to 29 percent surveyed in March. “While Americans are still much more likely to believe immigrants enrich American society than to see them as contributing to social problems, the gap between these positive and negative assessments appears to be narrowing as a consequence of our war on terrorism and other international conflicts,” says U-M political scientist Mark Tessler.

Public Confidence in U.S. InstitutionsWhile the first wave of the How Americans Respond survey conducted last fall did not include questions about public confidence in Congress, the military, major companies, organized religion, and other U.S. institutions, the March survey did include these questions, and the findings show that the percentage of Americans who say they have a great deal of confidence in the people running various institutions in this country is sharply lower than that found by other surveys conducted in the last several months.

About 73 percent say they have a great deal of confidence in the military, but only 16 percent report that level of confidence in Congress, 30 percent in the Executive branch, 34 percent in organized religion, and 11 percent in major U.S. companies. “In times of crisis, a ‘rally ’round the flag’ phenomenon affects attitudes toward institutions, just as it affects presidential approval ratings,” says Traugott. “But these findings suggest that this positive attitude is beginning to wear off.”

 Fig. 6

Volunteering and Charitable ActivityDespite widespread speculation that the events of September 11 would create a surge in volunteerism, the ISR survey found virtually no change in the proportion who said they had recently volunteered. When asked, “Thinking about the past month, have you spent any time participating in any sort of volunteer or charitable activity in your community,” 41 percent said yes in October compared to 39 percent in March. Only about 20 percent of those who said they had not volunteered when asked in October said they had spent some time volunteering when they were surveyed again in March. “It would only be plausible to expect a surge in volunteering after September 11 if there were volunteer opportunities that were directly relevant to 9-11,” says Kahn. “But outside of donating blood and money in the first weeks after the initial attacks, the public beyond the New York City and DC areas directly affected has not been presented with many volunteer activities linked specifically to the fight against terrorism.”

Among those ages 18-27, who are the prime targets of the proposed community service program advocated by the Bush Administration and the Call to Service Act sponsored by U.S. Sens. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), about 32 percent said they had volunteered in the last month when asked last fall, compared to about 30 percent in March. The proportion of those volunteering in the past month was also down by 3 percent among those ages 48 to 57 and by 9 percent among those ages 68 and older.

How Americans are Spending their TimeWhile the survey results suggest that the events of September 11 did not affect community service, the findings do show an impact on how Americans are deciding to spend their time. When asked what is the same and what is different in their lives since September 11, about 37 percent of women and 26 percent of men said they are spending more time with their family, and about 18 percent said they are spending more time with their friends. About 15 percent are spending more time in leisure activities, compared to 10 percent who are spending more time at work. In contrast, 12 percent said they are spending less time at work and about 15 percent said they are spending less time with friends.

Depression, Anxiety and DistressAbout 53 percent of those interviewed in March said they had trouble concentrating or keeping their mind on what they were doing sometime in the last week, compared to 65 percent who said so when interviewed in September. Only about 30 percent said they had felt depressed during the past week, however, compared to about 52 percent last fall. About 21 percent said they had felt fearful in the last week, compared to 48 percent interviewed right after the attacks on the World Trade Center. “People are adjusting to feeling a persistent lack of personal safety,” suggests Jackson. “While people know that their personal safety level has permanently changed, they have to get on with their lives and have found personal coping strategies that relieve them of depressive symptoms.”

Those with children under age 18 living with them reported levels of distress among children that were as high or higher than reported in September, with 12 percent saying children had nightmares in the last week, 33 percent reporting children were easily annoyed, and 26 percent saying that children had trouble concentrating.

How Americans Respond is an on-going collaborative, interdisciplinary research project at the U-M Institute for Social Research, funded in part by the Russell Sage Foundation. Social scientists involved in the survey design and analysis include economists Richard Curtin, Thomas Juster, Robert Willis, David Weir and Matthew Shapiro; psychologists James Jackson, Robert Kahn and David Featherman; political scientists Michael Traugott, Donald Kinder, Mark Tessler and Theodore Brader, and survey methodologists Robert Groves, Beth-Ellen Pennell and Martha Hill.

The preliminary

The world’s largest academic survey and research organization, the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research (ISR) was established in 1948. A leader in the development and application of social science methodology, ISR conducts some of the most widely-cited studies in the nation. These include the Survey of Consumer Attitudes, National Election Studies, the Monitoring the Future Study, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, the Health and Retirement Study, the Columbia County Longitudinal Study, and the National Survey of Black Americans. ISR researchers also collaborate with social scientists in more than 60 nations on the World Values Surveys and other projects, and the Institute has formal ties with universities in Poland, China, and South Africa.

Institute for Social ResearchMichael TraugottRobert L. KahnJames S. JacksonMark TesslerFig. 6Call to Service Act