Americans Less Willing to Attend Large Events due to Terrorism
Thirty-eight percent of U.S. adults say the threat of terrorism makes them less willing to attend events where there are thousands of people, according to a new Gallup poll. The number is up from 27% in July 2011, the last time Gallup asked the question. It is also the highest level recorded since Gallup began asking the question after 9/11.
According to Gallup, immediately after 9/11, 30% of Americans expressed reluctance to attend crowded events. That level of concern persisted throughout the first year after those attacks but dipped in polls conducted five years and 10 years later -- to 23% and 27%, respectively. But with the recent events in England fresh in people's minds, it said, concern about attending crowded events is at a new high. Memories of other terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, including the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the 2016 shooting at the crowded Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, also may be increasing Americans' fears, the poll said.