Cyberterrorism, China top list of international concerns for Americans, Gallup says
Most Americans deem cyberterrorism as the most critical threat to the United States, a new poll from Gallup says. File photo by SP-Photo/Shutterstock
Gallup’s latest survey on world affairs found that 74% of respondents believe Iran developing nuclear weapons is the second most critical threat to the United States. In regards to North Korea developing nuclear weapons, 73% said it is also a critical threat. File photo courtesy of the North Korean Official News Service/UPI
Republicans were far more likely to perceive immigration as a critical threat to the United States than Democrats according to the latest Gallup survey on world affairs. File photo by Pat Benic/UPI
Democrats responded at an 85% rate that climate change is a critical threat compared to 21% of Republicans who answered the same way in the latest Gallup survey on world affairs. File photo courtesy of NASA/UPI
March 22 (UPI) — Most Americans view cyberterrorism as the most critical threat to the United States, a new poll from Gallup says.
Gallup’s poll on world affairs measured how important respondents perceive 11 potential threats to the country. Cyberterrorism overwhelmingly outpaced the other topics, with 85% of respondents calling it a “critical threat.”
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Responses to cyberterrorism were consistent across political party lines, with 86% of both Democrats and Republicans calling it a critical threat. About 79% of Independents answered this way.
“Americans continue to cite cyberterrorism as the leading critical threat to U.S. vital security interests, as they have since 2021,” Mohamad Younis of Gallup wrote. “Before that, international terrorism and the development of nuclear weapons by Iran and North Korea ranked highest. But concern about each of these has ebbed over the past decade.”
The Department of Defense shares in the concerns about cyberterrorism. In a 2022 report, the department said that while state actors like China and Russia are commonly considered the most likely adversaries in cyber warfare, independent criminal organizations also pose a significant…