Thinking (or Not) of Terror

It’s hard to say whether they merit more envy or more contempt, but 12 percent of U.S. adults never think about terrorism. That’s one end of the spectrum in a new Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll. At the opposite end, 13 percent think of terrorism several times a day, and 19 percent do so once a day. Another 18 percent think about it a couple times a week; 13 percent do so once a week, and 20 percent think of it less than once a week. Asked whether they feel their own lives are in peril due to terrorism, 25 percent said “yes.” What are the most likely terror targets? Airports/airplanes led the list (cited by 25 percent), followed by bridges/tunnels (15 percent) and shopping malls (13 percent). One striking statistic: 20 percent said they’d be “very likely” and another 20 percent “somewhat likely” to move at least temporarily if their city was rumored to be a terrorist target.