Coinciding with the rise of the Islamic State, public concern about Islamic fundamentalism as a critical threat is rated at 55 percent, the highest level since 2002 survey results.
Key Findings
Americans rate the top threats facing the United States as the possibility of violent Islamic extremists groups carrying out a major terrorist attack in the United States (72% a critical threat) and international terrorism (69%), along with the rise of violent Islamic extremist groups like ISIS in Iraq and Syria (64%). By comparison, Americans regard only the threat of cyberattacks against US computer systems (69%) as compared to that posed by terrorism. Concerns about nuclear proliferation (59%) and Iran’s nuclear program (57%) remain high, but no greater than they were in 2014.
