Not All That Terrorized, Financial Insomnia, Etc.

Five years after 9/11, opinion polls show that fear of further attacks is more the exception than the rule. In one typical example, an Associated Press/Ipsos Public Affairs poll found 9 percent of adults "very concerned" that terrorists will attack the area where they live, with another 21 percent "somewhat concerned"; 35 percent were "not too concerned" and 35 percent "not at all concerned." Even in an obvious target like New York, the total "concerned" vote was only slightly higher than the "not concerned" tally (54 percent vs. 46 percent). Worry was a bit more common in Washington, D.C. (61 percent concerned, 39 percent not concerned). A Fox News/ Opinion Dynamics poll offers other common fears as a point of comparison. Asked whether they're most concerned about being a victim of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster or a street crime, just 12 percent of this survey's respondents picked the terrorist attack, while 33 percent cited a natural disaster and 44 percent a street crime. As has been the case since the 9/11 attacks, women continue to express more fear than men about further terrorism. The chart below, excerpting a Quinnipiac University Polling Institute survey, gives a glimpse at this tendency. The same poll asked respondents whether the authorities, in their efforts to thwart attacks, should "be able to single out people who look like they might be of Middle Eastern origin to search or question." Majorities of men (68 percent) and women (52 percent) said that the authorities should be able to do this. One thing that has not changed since 9/11 is the incidence of religious belief and practice. A report by The Barna Group acknowledges that there was a surge in attendance at religious services right after the 2001 attacks. "However, by the time January 2002 rolled around, churchgoing was back to pre-attack levels, and has remained consistent in the five years since."Had a good summer? If not, you suffered the added indignity of watching the majority of your compatriots having one. A Rasmussen Reports poll asked adults how they would rate their summer. An enthusiastic 6 percent said it was the "best ever," with another 16 percent grading it "excellent" and 35 percent "good." Twenty-seven percent said it was merely "fair," while 15 percent rated it "poor." Note that this mostly rosy assessment came even as many other polls showed majorities of Americans declaring the country to be on the "wrong track." Thus, it's another case of people's tendency to be upbeat about their immediate circumstances even as they see the rest of the world going to hell in a handbasket.If Americans are sleep-deprived, it's not just because they spend insufficient time in bed. Financial worries keep them tossing and turning, finds a poll conducted by the Boston Consulting Group. When they go to bed at night, 64 percent of adults with household income under $35,000 "often or sometimes worry about having enough money." So do 45 percent of those in the $35,000-74,999 bracket, 39 percent of those making $75,000-99,999 and 27 percent of those with income of $100,000-plus. Gas prices have contributed to such anxiety, of course, with 77 percent of respondents claiming to have cut back their spending due to this factor. Nonetheless, 75 percent believe they'll be able to maintain their current lifestyle, in part by being smart about how they spend their money. Among consumers in the under-$35,000 bracket, half said they have been buying "less expensive alternatives to products they regularly buy." Americans have also been delaying purchases of items they don't deem "absolutely necessary." That includes people in the $100,000-plus income cohort, among whom 30 percent have taken this prudent step. Even a mansion needs some sprucing up, apparently. Elite Traveler magazine recently conducted a poll among owners of private jets. Since the respondents reported an average income of $9.2 million, we can surmise they don't live in hovels. Even so, three-quarters of them felt called upon to spend money on home improvements last year, shelling out a per capita average of $542,000 in the process. If that sounds like a lot, keep in mind that the typical respondent in this survey owns at least two residences. Happily, these folks have the wherewithal to stay someplace else while the paint is drying. For instance, 21 percent of them went on a cruise (or cruises) last year, spending an average of $138,000 to do so.

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Not All That Terrorized, Financial Insomnia, Etc.

Mark Dolliver

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