WASHINGTON — Fear among Americans about terrorist attacks on US soil have risen sharply a week after a major assault in Paris killed 130, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, which finds a majority believing the country is at war with ''radical Islam.''
Fully 83 percent of registered voters say they believe a terrorist attack in the United States resulting in large casualties is likely in the near future, rising from 73 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll earlier this month asking the same question. Forty percent say a major attack in the United States is ''very likely,'' up 8 percentage points since last week's attacks to match the record level of concern recorded after the 2005 British subway bombings.
The Post-ABC poll finds a majority of Americans want the United States to join a military response to the Paris attacks, including increasing airstrikes and sending ground troops to fight the Islamic State, which took responsibility for last week's mayhem.
But the poll also finds evidence of public hesitation about a major military commitment, with more saying the United States should play a supporting role, and only one-third of all respondents supporting deployment of large numbers of ground forces.
Rather than rally around the commander-in-chief, the public's ratings of President Obama on dealing with terrorism have fallen to a record low 40 percent, with a still smaller 35 percent approving of his handling of the Islamic State. Obama's ratings on terrorism have fallen seven points since January, driven largely by a 20-point drop among political independents and an 11-point drop among moderates.
The Post-ABC poll finds middling confidence in the US government's ability to prevent an attack; 45 percent have at least a ''good amount'' of confidence, while 55 percent report only a ''fair amount'' or no confidence at all.
Concerns about government competence are also clear on the issue of refugees fleeing Syria. A 54 percent majority say the United States should not take refugees from Syria and other parts of the Middle East, even if they are screened for security.