Oct. 16
— Most Americans are reacting soberly to the anthrax scare, with barely over a quarter expressing a great deal of worry that they or a loved one may become infected.
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Fifty-four percent do have some concern that they, or someone close to them, could be the victim of an anthrax attack. But fewer — 26 percent of Americans — say the possibility worries them "a great deal." That falls well short of wholesale, high-level alarm.
At the same time, the public divides on the extent of the problem. While 45 percent see it as a few isolated cases limited to a small number of people, 50 percent see it — more menacingly — as the first of an ongoing series of cases that could affect many people.
This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted Monday night, after evening news reports that an anthrax-contaminated letter had been delivered to the office of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle. Midway through the evening came word that anthrax had been diagnosed in a child who'd visited ABCNEWS offices in New York. Poll results before and after that report were essentially identical.
CONCERN: Another sign of tempered concern is this: Just one percent say they or someone in their household has bought a supply of antibiotics in case of biological attack. (That represents perhaps a couple of million people — many individuals, albeit a tiny percentage.)
Beyond the chance of personal exposure, about two-thirds of Americans express some worry about the anthrax situation more broadly. Again, though, just 28 percent say they're worried "a great deal" about it.
Concern is a bit higher about more "major terrorist attacks" in general — 77 percent are worried about it, 35 percent a great deal. That overall worry is down, though, from 87 percent the night of Sept. 11, to its lowest since the terrorism crisis began.
What's Your Worry?
Worried
Worried "A Great Deal"
More Major Terrorist Attacks
77%
35%
The Anthrax Situation
65%
28%
Self or Loved One Getting Anthrax
54%
26%
Biological/Chemical Attacks (Oct. 9)
80%
37%
RESPONSE: Eighty-five percent of Americans say they're satisfied with the way government authorities have responded to the anthrax situation; they divide about evenly between being "very" and "somewhat" satisfied with the government's response.
Just over seven in 10 also express some confidence in the federal government's ability to deal with a large-scale biological or chemical attack — though quite a bit fewer, 22 percent, are "very" confident.
Also, nearly seven in 10 continue to say the United States is doing all it reasonably can do to prevent further terrorist attacks. That's a turnaround from Sept. 13, when two-thirds said the authorities could have done more to prevent the attacks of Sept. 11.
MEDIA Most see the news media's coverage of the anthrax situation as balanced: About a third say the media have exaggerated the dangers, but more than six in 10 think not.
THE SEXES: Women are just over 20 points more apt than men to think the anthrax cases to date are the first of an ongoing series of cases that could affect many people. That may be why women are also more apt than men to express "a great deal" of concern with the situation.
BUSH/CIVILIANS: George W. Bush, meanwhile, continues to receive soaring grades for his work, with 92 percent saying they approve of the country's campaign against terrorism. Eighty-five percent think the United States is doing all it reasonably can to try to avoid civilian casualties in Afghanistan.
METHODOLOGY: This ABCNEWS/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 15, 2001, among a random national sample of 509 adults. The results have a 4.5-point error margin. Field work by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
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