NEW YORK, NY, September 12, 2026 — A new survey shows that more Americans now fear domestic extremism than foreign threats, according to recent public opinion data gathered by Ipsos. The poll comes right before the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Sixty-one percent of those polled cited Homegrown Extremism as the greater ideological threat, versus just 34% for groups based in foreign countries.
A Shift From Two Decades Ago
Polling by Reuters/Ipsos in 2013 found only 21 percent of Americans considered domestic terrorism the main threat, according to historical data preserved by the Pew Research Center. At that time, 28% attributed it to foreign terror, and 51% attributed it to random violence such as mass shootings. In the survey run August 28-31, that balance has flipped sharply in recent years.
Days before the anniversary, 1,167 Americans around the country were surveyed in the poll. Pollsters then directly asked respondents to rank-order various categories of potential violence against each other, using methodologies standard in social science research at Harvard University. The researchers said the change reflects increased public attention to domestic extremist movements in the last decade.
The attackers were foreign Al-Qaeda militants trained overseas who hijacked commercial airplanes and flew them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, as documented by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The 9/11 attacks killed thousands and launched two decades of overseas American military engagements. Twenty-five years on, popular anxiety has shifted unmistakably to fears of the threats emanating from within.
Overall Fears Led by Random Violence
Overall fears are still led by violence across randomness, a trend tracked by crime and public safety analysts at the National Institute of Justice.
When asked to identify the single biggest threat facing average Americans, a cumulative 42% selected random violent acts overall. Thirty-three percent chose domestic terrorism specifically and 20 percent blamed attacks from overseas, a balance of concerns actively monitored by the Department of Homeland Security. In prior years, random violence — including mass shootings — has been towards the top of the public safety issues for many.
Cline said worries about mass shootings have continued to be high in other recent years that the surveys were conducted, mirroring national statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The consistency of this worry is juxtaposed with the steeper increase in domestic extremism categories alone. Pollsters said that the trend is indicative of Americans properly categorizing organized violent extremism from other forms of gun violence.
Next, over half of the respondents indicated they support increased airport security measures going forward, which are managed nationwide by the Transportation Security Administration. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that a smaller number supported expanded domestic surveillance by federal agencies. That divide indicates Americans support more physical security but not broader surveillance authority.
9/11 Impact On Daily Routines
A separate poll by Gallup captured 64% of Americans saying the attacks changed how people live forever. It matches a high first recorded on the 20th anniversary of the attacks five years ago The Gallup survey was conducted between Aug. 3 and 24, leading up to this week’s anniversary events in New York.
Respondents were less likely to say the attacks influenced their own daily habits than in general. That gap has continued across over 25 years of similar surveys, Gallup said, providing valuable insights for researchers at the American Psychological Association. Roughly six in 10 people say they still periodically think about the attacks.
A similar proportion said they would back a military option if another large-scale assault took place, an attitude aligned with national defense frameworks set by the U.S. Department of Defense. That discovery points towards a solid public cravings for retaliation no matter the fact that fear patterns have evolved. This week, New York City issued thousands of documents on air quality around Ground Zero.
Wars That Followed Remain Unpopular
Most survey-takers said the wars that followed 9/11 were not worth it in human or financial capital, an issue frequently analyzed by the Council on Foreign Relations. Forty-eight percent said the Afghanistan war was not worth it, while 21% disagreed. The other respondents were uncertain or opted not to answer the question.
This is true as well for views on the Iraq war, where 51% say it was not worth the cost, a sentiment echoed in strategic assessments published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Only 21 percent said the human and financial costs of the Iraq war were worth it. The numbers capture 20 years of public debate over the costs and outcomes of the wars.
