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Poll: New Yorkers expect the worst

BY ANTHONY M. DESTEFANO | NEWSDAY STAFF WRITER

September 11, 2006

Most New Yorkers expect another city terrorist attack in the next five years and a majority favor some form of profiling of Muslims or Middle Easterners, and are willing to surrender some personal freedoms to reduce the threat of terrorism, according to a NY1/Newsday poll.

Expectations about another terror attack in the city were uniform among both city and state registered voters polled. Poll results show that 57 percent of registered voters in the city and 54 percent statewide believe that New York City will be targeted by terrorists by 2011.

The poll, conducted Wednesday, sampled 723 New York City registered voters, 334 on Long Island and a total of 2011 statewide. The results had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points statewide.

When questioned about what security measures should be taken to lessen the threat of terrorism, a bare majority, 51 percent, of the respondents statewide favored some type of airport security that singled out people who appear to be Muslim or from the Middle East. Slightly fewer New York City registered voters, 45 percent, favored some kind of ethnic profiling in connection with airport security measures.

Questioned about whether they were willing to give up some personal freedom in order to reduce the threat of terrorism, 64 percent of respondents statewide and 61 percent of those in the city answered yes.

While expectation of another terrorist attack in New York City was high, smaller percentages of respondents were worried that someone in their families would become a victim of terrorism. Only 17 percent of statewide respondents said they were "very worried" about a family member being victimized by terrorism, while 24 percent of city respondents felt that way.

Asked about the levels of anxiety reflected among city residents regarding terrorism, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a "yes" answer was to be expected and that even he was anxious about things.

"I think in this day and age you go to any big city and you say, you know, 'Are you anxious?,' you probably get a 'yes' answer," Bloomberg said Friday.

Elderly Catherine Voss of the Upper West Side was one of those surveyed for the poll who wasn't fearful about another terrorist attack. She believed politicians have been playing off the public's fear about terrorism.

"I am more afraid of failing schools," Voss said.

But in South Ozone Park, Jerry Nutter, another who was surveyed, said he believed a terrorist attack was likely. "It just seems like it is something that may happen and impossible to defend against," he said.

Staff writer Melanie Lefkowitz contributed to this story.