September 11 Changes Were for Better, Poll Says

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 02, 2002

September 11 Changes Were for Better, Poll Says

Most Americans say their country has permanently changed for the better as a consequence of the September 11 terror attacks, while more than half say the tragedy has transformed their lives, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll released Tuesday.

Nearly everyone surveyed believes that life in the United States has been permanently changed in the aftermath of the worst terrorist attack in the country's history.

A less expected finding is that nearly two-thirds of Americans said the resulting changes have been for the better. They say that Americans have re-evaluated their relationships with each other and with major U.S. institutions after the horrific attacks on the country's government and economic centers.

About 25 percent of those polled say the country has changed for the worse. This pessimistic view was more likely to be expressed by people living in the region most directly affected by the terror attack than by residents of other parts of the country.

Although a lopsided majority of Americans said the terror attack has changed the country in a lasting way, a smaller majority -- 55 percent -- said the attack affected their personal lives.

Nearly three-fourths of those who had been personally affected said the tragedy shaped the way they "feel about things" rather than the way they lived.

The survey found that Americans enter the new year optimistic about the months ahead. Eight in 10 said they were more hopeful than fearful about what 2002 holds for them personally. Six in 10 expressed confidence about what the new year will bring for the world in general.

A total of 755 randomly selected adults nationwide were interviewed on December 18-19 for this survey. The margin of sampling error for the overall results is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

China Willing to Participate in the Rebuilding of Afghanistan

Pakistan Media: US to Deploy NMD in Afghanistan to Contain China

UK Anti-Terrorism Bill Becomes Law

>> Full Coverage