The world has changed significantly for most Americans since
Sept. 11, 2001. They face a glaring reminder of that change every
time the terror alert level is raised and lowered. Much
naiveté that once was, has been lost.
American teens' visions of their own futures certainly reflect
the new realities that terrorism has imposed. In the 2003 Gallup
Youth Survey*, Gallup asked teens (aged 13 to 17) how they think
eight different things -- changes in the environment, political
terrorists, the Internet, the federal budget deficit, racial
prejudice, genetic engineering, religious fanatics, and space
travel -- will influence their futures. Eighty-nine percent of
teens** say that political terrorists will have "a lot" or "some"
influence on their futures -- similar to that given for changes in
the environment (91%), the Internet (88%), and the federal budget
deficit (86%). A majority, 52%, of American teens say political
terrorists will have "a lot" of influence on their futures, the
highest score for any item.
A somewhat lower percentage of American teens say they believe
that religious fanatics will influence their futures. The
separation in teens' minds between political terrorists and
religious fanatics is intriguing, given that Osama bin Laden and
other members of al Qaeda are tied to religious extremism. Teens
are as likely to say that religious fanatics will have a lot or
some influence on their futures (72%) as they are to say that space
travel (70%) and genetic engineering (78%) will.
Proximity to NYC and D.C. Doesn't Influence Responses . .
.
Given their proximity to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the
preponderance of possible targets for future terrorist attacks in
this region, it might be expected that teens in the Northeast would
be more likely to see their futures influenced by political
terrorists. Indeed, among adults living in the United States, those
residing in the Northeast have tended to express more concern about
terrorism than residents of other parts of the country do. However,
there are no statistical differences among teens in different
regions of the country in these ratings. Ninety-one percent of
teens in the Northeast say political terrorists will have a lot or
some influence on their futures, as do 87% of teens in the Midwest,
88% in the South, and 89% in the West. In fact, regardless of
geographic region, level of academic standing, church attendance,
and political inclination, teens share similar views on the amount
of influence that political terrorists and religious
fanatics will have on their futures.
. . . But Gender Does
However, that is not to say that all teens share similar
views on these subjects. Boys and girls' opinions differ on the
degree to which political terrorists and religious fanatics will
influence their lives.
Girls are somewhat more likely than boys to say that religious
fanatics will have a lot or some influence on their futures -- 75%
to 66%, respectively. Thirty-two percent of girls and 21% of boys
say they think religious fanatics will have a lot of influence on
their futures. Conversely, 24% of girls say that religious fanatics
will not have much influence; 33% of boys say the same.
Although girls and boys are almost equally as likely to say that
political terrorists will have a lot or some influence on their
futures (89% of girls and 88% of boys), girls are significantly
more likely to say "a lot." Fifty-seven percent of girls select
this response, compared with 46% of boys. This echoes the finding
among U.S. adults that shows women much more likely than men to
express concern over terrorism.
*The Gallup Youth Survey is conducted via an Internet
methodology provided by Knowledge Networks, using an online
research panel that is designed to be representative of the entire
U.S. population. The current questionnaire was completed by 1,200
respondents, aged 13 to 17, between Jan. 23-Feb. 10, 2003. For
results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence
that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3%. For a
complete description of the sampling and weighting procedures used
to conduct the survey, click here.
**The Gallup Youth Survey was still in the field when the terror
alert was raised to orange status on Feb. 7. However, a comparison
of data collected before and after Feb. 7 show no difference in
results.
