Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks shifted American fears towards threats originating overseas, public concern has increasingly turned inward, with Americans now considerably more worried about attacks by domestic extremists than by foreign terrorist groups, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
When asked to identify the biggest threat to the safety of average Americans, 33 per cent of respondents selected “domestic terrorism”, compared with 20 per cent who identified foreign terrorism. Meanwhile, 42 per cent pointed to random acts of violence, including mass shootings, as the greatest threat, according to the poll conducted from August 28 to 31.
The figures mark a significant change from a decade earlier. Reuters/Ipsos polling in mid-2013 found that 21 per cent of Americans considered domestic terrorism the leading threat, while 28 per cent identified foreign terrorism and 51 per cent cited random acts of violence.
The shift comes against the backdrop of a radically different security environment from that which followed the September 11, 2001 attacks. Foreign al-Qaida militants hijacked aircraft and crashed them into New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon outside Washington, killing thousands and triggering decades of war, including the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, where al-Qaida leaders were based.
Al-Qaida also inspired the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, in which two foreign-born brothers killed three people and injured more than 260 others. A fourth person was killed several days later.
At the same time, the United States has experienced a series of domestically inspired attacks targeting civilians and communities. These have included the 2016 mass shooting at a Florida gay nightclub, in which 49 people were killed, as well as attacks targeting Black, Latino and Jewish Americans.
President Donald Trump has also faced multiple assassination attempts, including a 2024 shooting that wounded his ear. Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was gunned down in September 2025 while speaking to university students in Utah.
The changing perception of the threat is particularly pronounced when Americans are asked specifically about ideology-driven violence. In the latest poll, 61 per cent identified domestic extremists as posing the greater threat, compared with 34 per cent who pointed to extremists from abroad.
Yet the legacy of September 11 remains deeply embedded in American public consciousness. Six in 10 Americans said they periodically think about the attacks, while roughly the same proportion said they would support a military response if the country suffered another major attack.
The wars launched in the aftermath of September 11, however, have attracted considerably less public support. Forty-eight per cent of respondents said the war in Afghanistan was not worth its toll, compared with 21 per cent who said it was. The remainder were unsure or did not answer. The war in Iraq produced a similar response, with 51 per cent disapproving and 21 per cent approving.
Public dissatisfaction with the post-9/11 wars contributed to Trump’s political rise, as he campaigned on avoiding enduring wars. His administration, however, launched a war on Iran six months ago that has resisted efforts to bring it to a rapid conclusion. Only 25 per cent of those surveyed said that conflict had been worth the cost, while 54 per cent said it had not.
Despite these reservations, most Americans believe the government’s post-9/11 security response has been at least somewhat effective. Six in 10 respondents, including eight in 10 Republicans, said the US government response had been effective in preventing attacks against Americans on US soil.
There is also broad bipartisan support for enhanced airport security. Seventy-one per cent of Democrats and 75 per cent of Republicans said the beefed-up security introduced after September 11 had been worth the disruption to travellers.
Americans are less receptive to replacing federal airport security with private contractors, an idea studied by the Trump administration. Only 23 per cent supported the proposal, while 48 per cent opposed it.
The expansion of domestic surveillance after September 11 has proved more controversial. Sixty-five per cent opposed allowing US intelligence agencies to monitor the electronic communications of US citizens without a warrant. A 2008 law permitting such surveillance lapsed in June, although the Trump administration has asked Congress to reauthorise the practice.
For most Americans, September 11 remains associated with national unity as much as national trauma. Seventy-five per cent said the attacks had a major impact on the country, substantially higher than the 41 per cent who said the 2007–2009 financial crisis had a major national impact.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online among 1,167 US adults nationwide, with margins of error ranging between three and six percentage points. A quarter-century after the attacks, the survey suggests that while September 11 continues to shape American attitudes towards security, the perceived source of the greatest ideological threat has moved decisively closer to home.
