Mondo Times Terrorism Poll Archive

This poll ran from August 20 to 26, 2007.

Mondo Stars Poll Results

"The terrorism threat to the United States is not that great." True 381/25% False 1158/75%

Votes: 1539

From "Terrorism, Part II," posted on August 9, 2007 by Steven D. Levitt at the Freakonomics blog hosted by the New York Times. Levitt is a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and the author (with Stephen J. Dubner) of the best-selling book Freakonomics.

Levitt wrote: "There are two possible interpretations of our current situation vis-à-vis terrorism. One view is the following: the main reason we aren't currently being decimated by terrorists is that the government's anti-terror efforts have been successful. The alternative interpretation is that the terror risk just isn't that high and we are greatly overspending on fighting it, or at least appearing to fight it.

"My guess is that the second scenario — the terrorism threat just isn't that great — is the more likely one. Which, if you think about it, is the optimistic view of the world. But that probably still makes me a moron, a traitor, or both."

Levitt's closing comment about being a moron or a traitor (or both) was prompted by a slew of negative email he received after a related post in which he suggested some ideas terrorists might use to attack the United States. That post was titled "If You Were a Terrorist, How Would You Attack?"

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