By WILL LESTER
The Associated Press
Thursday, August 31, 2006; 2:59 PM
WASHINGTON -- Fears of another terrorist attack are intensely personal for those who live in the two cities struck Sept. 11, 2001 _ New York and Washington.
Well over half of New Yorkers and Washingtonians are worried their cities will be attacked again, an AP-Ipsos poll found. Nationwide, a third worry their own communities will be attacked.
Fear of terrorism surfaces in many aspects of life. People are nervous about public transportation, take note of suspicious people and think back often to the horrors of Sept. 11.
Five years after the attacks, the terrorist threat is still evolving. Britain's foiling of what authorities called a multiple hijacking plot in early August was a stark reminder. Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, who claims to have ordered the Sept. 11 attacks, remains free, probably in the mountains near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. And the only person convicted in the U.S. for the Sept. 11 massacre is Zacarias Moussaoui, a Frenchman who was in jail when it happened.
Such factors contribute to the persistent high anxiety, particularly in New York.
"It's just a constant worry," said Micky Diaz, a medical office manager who lives in the Bronx and works in Manhattan.
"Now you have to worry about the subways, you have to worry about the tunnels, you have to worry about the highways," she said. "It's nerve-racking."
Among the poll's findings:
_Fifty-nine percent nationally approved of President Bush's response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks while less than half in New York and Washington felt that way.
_Thirty-five percent nationally were worried they'd be victims of terrorism, a number that spiked to 43 after the alleged terrorist plot in Britain was announced.
The stress people experienced soon after the attacks fades with time, but it can be renewed by such events as news of terror plots and the anniversary of the attacks, said Anthony Ng, a psychiatrist who has worked with 9/11 victims.
Differences between the city that suffered the worst attack and the rest of the country can be found in the strength of Sept. 11 memories.
About six in 10 New Yorkers say they've thought back recently to that day five years ago with its horrifying images of planes used as missiles, crumbling skyscrapers and fleeing victims. That's more than the half nationally who said they've thought recently about it.
The findings are based on national polling Aug. 7-9 and Aug. 15-17 of about 1,000 in each survey and polling of 402 adults in the Washington area and 402 in the New York City area from Aug. 6-10. The margin of sampling error for the national polls is plus or minus 3 percentage points, and 5 percentage points for the city polls.
New Yorkers were more likely than people in Washington and the rest of the country to have concerns about being in open spaces and using public transportation. Women were more likely than men to have such fears.
Much like the bombing of Pearl Harbor during World War II and President Kennedy's assassination in 1963, Sept. 11 has become one of the nation's defining days.
When asked whether the attacks changed their lives, half the people around the country _ and in New York and Washington _ said it has. They were most likely to say they are more aware of their surroundings now, and more cautious. Some are more afraid of flying and some said they are more aware of family and take nothing for granted.
In America's heartland, the fears remain, but the dangers seem more distant. Retiree Holly Thomson of Sedan, Kan., says she hasn't flown since 9/11 and looks at strangers with suspicion. She considers New York and Washington more dangerous now, "but I feel safe here."
People around the country should not feel too insulated from the terror threat, said George Foresman, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for preparedness. Washington and New York are definitely high-risk targets, "but the risk of terrorist events is not limited to Washington or New York City," Foresman said. "We know there are other metro areas that would be attractive targets."
People living in Washington are aware their city is a target. "It's something I've worried a lot about," said Janay Widdison, strolling across the National Mall on Thursday with her 1-year-old son perched on her shoulders. "I really think it's inevitable."
Despite the anxiety, a majority of people across the country say they do not avoid public transportation, do not feel uncomfortable in crowds and do not worry about another attack.
For Jeff Roth of Aberdeen, N.J., memories of Sept. 11 come flooding back when he visits neighboring New York City.
"Every time you drive up towards New York and see the Twin Towers missing, you're reminded of it," said Roth. "I remember feeling total shock, despair, anger, every emotion you could have when I looked across and could see the towers on fire."
But Roth is stubborn about not letting those emotions change him.
"I go on with my life," he said. "I'm not going to let anybody rule that."
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Next up: People are concerned that the cost of the war on terrorism is too high, and they're pessimistic about the chances that bin Laden will be caught.
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AP Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson and News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.
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On the Net:
Ipsos: http://www.ap-ipsosresults.com