A new YouGov survey released ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks finds a notable partisan split over how much attention Americans should still be paying to the day that killed nearly 3,000 people on U.S. soil.
The poll asked respondents whether Americans focus too much or too little on 9/11. Overall, a plurality of 46 percent said the country focuses on it the “right amount,” while 28 percent said “too little,” 19 percent were unsure, and 6 percent said “too much.”
The breakdown by party shows a clear divide. Among Republicans, 44 percent said 9/11 gets the right amount of attention and 43 percent said it gets too little, while just 5 percent said too much. Independents were similar: 44 percent said the right amount, 21 percent said too little, and 6 percent said too much.
Democrats stood apart. Thirteen percent of Democrats — more than one in eight — said 9/11 is given too much focus, the highest share of any group polled. Only 19 percent of Democrats said the attacks don’t get enough attention, the lowest share among the three groups. Fifty-one percent of Democrats said the current level of focus is about right.
The survey also found that 54 percent of respondents believe Americans born after 2001 generally do not have a good understanding of the attacks.
Diverging views on the attacks’ legacy
Democrats and Republicans differ sharply on what effects 9/11 still has on American life today. Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to say the attacks continue to affect how Muslims are treated in the U.S. (71 percent versus 42 percent) and U.S. immigration policy (58 percent versus 45 percent).
Republicans, by contrast, are more likely than Democrats to say the attacks still shape how patriotic Americans feel (51 percent versus 29 percent) and the country’s sense of national unity (35 percent versus 24 percent).
On the broader response to 9/11 — the military operations abroad and expanded domestic security and surveillance that followed — 48 percent of all respondents said those efforts have been worth the cost, including 71 percent of Republicans but only 37 percent of Democrats. A quarter of respondents overall said the response was not worth the cost, a view held by 35 percent of Democrats compared with 12 percent of Republicans.
The poll was conducted August 20-23 among 1,098 U.S. citizens and carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.
President Donald Trump is expected to mark the anniversary with remarks at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., according to reports.
