Poll: Teens Remain Fearful Over 9/11

Sept. 9, 2002 -- A year after Sept. 11, fright, fear, and anger linger among millions of American teenagers. Yet brighter sentiments are the broadest, including optimism, confidence, national pride and a prevailing sense of safety, even in these times.

An ABCNEWS poll finds six in 10 teens remain frightened about the attacks and scared that more might occur. Of greatest concern, perhaps, are those who express high-level anxiety: Anywhere from 15 percent to 25 percent are "very" confused and frightened about what happened, "very" scared about more attacks and "very" worried about being victimized.

But these high-level concerns have eased in the last year; indeed for nearly all teens, the initial shock clearly has subsided. While 38 percent say they had trouble sleeping in the immediate days after last Sept. 11, just 2 percent report trouble sleeping now as a result of the terrorist attacks.

Also, this poll finds substantial, 16- to 21-point drops in the number of teens who say they're frightened or confused about what happened, scared about more attacks, or worried they might be victims of terrorism (down now to 28 percent, including 15 percent "very" worried).

Just two emotions measured in this poll haven't subsided, both almost universally held: Ninety-two percent of teenagers say they're angry with the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks. And 88 percent say they're confident in the United States' response.

These results come from an ABCNEWS telephone survey of a random national sample of 12- to 17-year-olds, done as part of ABC's daylong coverage of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. (Note: For convenience, this analysis includes 12-year-olds in the term "teens.")

Optimism and Pride Remain

Whatever fears linger, the attacks failed to shake the fundamentally positive attitudes of the vast majority of American teens. Eight in 10 call themselves optimistic about the nation's future, and a smashing 93 percent are optimistic about their personal future. Nearly nine in 10 call themselves proud to be Americans.

And despite the new face of terrorism, nearly all teens — 96 percent — feel safe in their day-to-day lives, including 58 percent who feel "very" safe. (Younger respondents, ages 12-14, are substantially more apt to feel "very" safe — one of several sizable differences between older and younger children, reflecting their differing maturity and awareness.)

Majorities of teens also say they'd feel safe in a variety of places that may seem more vulnerable since Sept. 11 — a crowded place like a shopping mall (84 percent would feel safe), a tall building (72 percent), a big city (67 percent) or on an airplane (63 percent).

But quite a bit fewer — anywhere from 19 percent to 36 percent — say they'd feel "very" safe in any of these. And there is a Sept. 11 effect: Those who were frightened by the attacks, or scared about more attacks, are much more apt to say they'd feel unsafe flying.

Attacks Command Reflection and Communication

The attacks continue to command frequent reflection among many teens: Sixty-two percent say they think about Sept. 11 "a lot," including 22 percent who think about it "pretty much every day."

That's linked to the level of upset the attacks caused. Among teens who were "very" frightened by the attacks, 41 percent still think about Sept. 11 nearly every day. But among those who weren't frightened, just 5 percent dwell on the subject that frequently.

Only about half of teens, 51 percent, say they've had in-depth discussions about the attacks with their parents — surprisingly few, given the magnitude of the event. However, teens who were more upset by the attacks, or who think about them every day, are much more likely to have discussed them with their parents — meaning these conversations are most apt to have occurred where they're needed most.

Still, the lack of broad discussion at home is a cause for some concern, because for many kids, talking helps: Among those who've discussed the attacks in depth with their parents, 68 percent say it made them feel better about things.

Also, teens who haven't discussed the attacks with their parents are three times more likely to say their parents spend "too little" time talking about what happened. In all, 23 percent of teens say this — including 12 percent of those who have discussed the attacks with their parents, and 36 percent of those who have not.

School is a more prevalent outlet for discussion: Eighty-three percent of teens say they've had in-depth discussions about the attacks in class at school; 58 percent of them say those discussions made them feel better. (About half — especially older teens, ages 15 to 17 — also say they've discussed the attacks in depth with their friends.)

Terror Sparks Life Changes

When it comes to personal change, 52 percent of teens say their lives have changed since Sept. 11 in terms of the way they feel about things and 40 percent also report changes in terms of how they live day-to-day. But most say these changes have not been big ones; and most also say the changes have been for the better, not the worse.

Specifically among those who report change in their day-to-day lives, 79 percent say it's been a change for the better; and among those who report change in the way they feel about things, 68 percent say that change has been for the better.

In another measure, 17 percent say they've made changes in their personal plans for the future because of what happened Sept. 11. Asked what the biggest changes are, 27 percent in this group say they're less likely to fly; 12 percent say they want to continue their schooling; and 11 percent say they're now thinking of joining the armed services. (Note, as percentages of the full population of teens these numbers are quite small — all in the low single-digits.)

Many changes in teens' lives, it should be noted, are unrelated to terrorism. A third of teens (and especially young teens) say their parents have made new rules in the last year about where they can go; but far fewer, 12 percent, say these rules are related to Sept. 11. And 48 percent say their parents require them to check in more often; but again fewer than half of them, 18 percent, say this is because of the Sept. 11 attacks.

There are some substantial differences between girls and boys in their reactions to Sept. 11. Girls are much more apt to remain frightened about what happened (67 percent, compared to 49 percent of boys); and somewhat more apt to be scared about further attacks and worried about being victims of terrorism, or having friends or relatives victimized.

Girls — particularly older teenage girls — also are more apt than boys to think "a lot" about Sept. 11. And older teenage girls are most likely to have had an in-depth discussion of the attacks with their parents — 62 percent have done so, compared to 40 percent of older teen boys.

There's a regional difference in the fright factor as well. Teens in the Northeast, where the attacks occurred, are much more likely than teens elsewhere to say they're frightened by what happened (but no more likely to be scared about further attacks).

Home Life Remains Unchanged

There's no sign in this poll that the attacks caused substantial changes in many teens' home lives. Ninety-six percent say their parents (or the parent they live with) are involved in their lives; 73 percent (particularly girls) say their parents are "very" involved. This is quite similar to pre-9/11 results of an ABCNEWS poll of 15-year-olds.

Having parents "very" involved in their lives does not appear to be a factor in whether or not teens are frightened by what happened on Sept. 11, or scared about future attacks. But kids whose parents are "very" involved are 25 points more likely to say they've had an in-depth discussion of the attacks with their parents.

Just under six in 10 teens say they know how their parents feel about the attacks, while four in 10 say their parents "have pretty much kept that to themselves." Younger teens are 14 points more likely to know how their parents feel — an example, perhaps, of the communication difficulties that can arise between parents and older teens.

About a quarter of teens say their parents were more upset than they were about the attacks; nearly all the rest say their reactions and their parents' were about the same. Kids who have more-upset parents are 10 points more apt to be frightened about what happened, but no more likely to be apprehensive about the future.

A noteworthy demographic point, though unrelated to Sept. 11, is that just 58 percent of teens live with both their parents. The traditional family breaks down particularly with older teens (age 15 to 17); just 49 percent of them live with both parents, compared to 67 percent of younger teens. Twelve percent of teens live with a parent and a step-parent; about a quarter live in single-parent homes.

Another demographic note: You can call a good number of kids when they're out and about, but you can't page them. Twenty-eight percent have cell phones for their personal use (spiking to 35 percent of older teens); just 3 percent, though, have a pager.

Stress Highest Among Older Teen Girls

Forty percent of teens report stress in their lives, including 17 percent who report a "great deal" of stress; this, too, is coherent with previous polling. Unrelated to Sept. 11, there's a great link between stress and age. Among younger teens, 29 percent report stress in their lives; among older teens, this jumps to 52 percent. And stress is highest among older teenage girls, at 59 percent, compared to 46 percent of older teenage boys.

Self-reported stress is not substantially higher, though, among those who think about Sept. 11 every day, or who were frightened by it, or scared about another attack.

Nearly a third of teens, 31 percent, say they ever feel "really depressed"; this, too, is similar to ABC's pre-Sept. 11 poll of 15-year-olds. Three percent say they feel depressed "very often," an additional 13 percent "somewhat often" and the rest less frequently.

Prejudiced Comments Heard Infrequently

In one last area, this poll finds that most teens (particularly older ones) say they've heard anti-Muslim or anti-Arab comments — but not frequently; and coming more from other teens, rather than from adults.

Fifty-five percent of teens say they've heard other kids say prejudiced things about Muslims, Arabs or Arab-Americans; 21 percent say they've heard "a lot" of such comments (including 12 percent of younger teens, but 30 percent of older ones).

Fewer teens, 39 percent, say they've heard prejudiced comments of this nature from adults; 11 percent say they've heard "a lot" of such comments from adults.

There is broad unfamiliarity with Islam: Fewer than half of teens, 44 percent, say they have a "good, basic understanding" of its teachings and beliefs. But that's more than the number of adults, 31 percent, who expressed basic familiarity with Islam last winter.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS poll was conducted by telephone Aug. 25-28 among a random national sample of 547 12-to 17-year-olds. The results have a four-point error margin. Fieldwork was conducted by TNS Intersearch of Horsham, Pa.

Previous ABCNEWS polls can be found in our Poll Vault.