Oct. 25
— Americans are remaining doggedly level-headed in the face of the nation's anthrax attacks, with large majorities expressing concern but not fear, satisfaction with the government's response and an overwhelming sense that their own mail remains safe.
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Remarkably, anxiety hasn't grown in the last week and a half — it's even ebbed slightly. Seventeen percent now express a "great deal" of worry that they or a loved one could become infected, down from 26 percent on Oct. 15.
That's occurred despite discovery of the bacteria at Postal Service facilities, additional exposures and the deaths of two postal workers. But the official response has intensified and, probably most important, the outbreak has remained localized — likely the reason 92 percent of Americans think their own mail is safe.
The results also seem to reflect an unconscious resolve not to get overwrought. Half the public continues to see the anthrax situation as an ongoing problem that could affect many people. At the same time, however, barely over one in 10 say it scares them.
Personal Response to Anthrax Situation
Scared
12%
Concerned, not scared
77
Not concerned
11
MEDIA — Indeed the biggest change since last week is in the sense that the news media are exaggerating the danger of the situation. Forty-six percent now think that's the case, up a dozen points from 34 percent last week.
News Media Are:
10/24
10/15
Exaggerating the Danger
46%
34
Not Exaggerating
49
62
RISK — Just under half — 47 percent — express some worry that they or a close friend or relative could be an anthrax victim. (It was 54 percent last week.) This includes the 17 percent with "a great deal" of worry, plus 30 percent with more moderate concerns.
Concerns about personal exposure — excluding the risk to a friend or relative — are lower, 33 percent, including 12 percent with a "great deal" of worry.
REGION — A regional breakdown supports the notion that concern is linked to the localized nature of the exposures — especially the recent focus on Washington, D.C., followed by New York and New Jersey. Concern about possible infection is higher since last week only in the East, about steady in the South, and down in the Midwest and West.
Personal fear also is higher in the East, with 21 percent saying they're scared; it's lowest, seven percent, in the West.
OFFICIAL RESPONSE — While authorities have taken some criticism for not seeing the threat to postal facilities sooner, most Americans don't seem to be in a blaming mood. Seventy-eight percent say they're satisfied with the government's response to the anthrax situation — still a large majority, if not quite last week's 85 percent.
Seventy-five percent also say they're confident in the federal government's ability to respond effectively to a large-scale chemical or biological attack, about the same as last week. That confidence, it should be noted, is not supreme: Just 23 percent are "very" confident of an effective response.
But most people do recognize the government's recent efforts. Looking back, about six in 10 say the government did not do all it reasonably could have done to prepare for this kind of attack. (This, too, peaks in the East.) But looking ahead, six in 10 say the United States now is doing all it reasonably can to prevent further biological attacks.
MAIL — The main personal response to the situation is to check your mail — 44 percent are now doing this, about the same as it was over the weekend. But most of them are keeping it simple: looking their mail over more carefully, and throwing away unfamiliar mail without opening it. A quarter are washing their hands. Few are donning gloves or a mask.
Mail Precautions
Handling Mail With Caution
44%
Looking It Over More Carefully
39
Throwing Away Unfamiliar Mail
31
Washing Hands After Handling Mail
25
Wearing Gloves/Mask
6
There's also a regional difference in this result, with caution handling mail exceeding 50 percent only in the East.
OTHER STEPS — Thirty-five percent of Americans also say they've gathered information about what to do in case of an anthrax attack, unchanged since the weekend. Fourteen percent say they're avoiding crowded places, such as shopping malls — far from a majority, but still a potential cause of concern to retailers, if it holds.
Eight percent have spoken with a doctor, and four percent say they've bought antibiotics. The latter was two percent in a poll completed Sunday; a two-point change is not significant, given polling tolerances.
METHODOLOGY — This ABCNEWS poll was conducted by telephone Oct. 24, 2001, among a random national sample of 508 adults. The results have a 4.5-point error margin. Field work by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.
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