Americans Fear Sniper More Than Terrorists, Poll Says

WASHINGTON — Americans are more worried about snipers like the killer stalking the Washington area than about terrorists, according to a Newsweek poll released Saturday.

Forty-seven percent of those polled said they were either very or somewhat concerned that someone in their family might become a victim of a sniper attack. That compared with 43% who said they were somewhat or very concerned about family members falling victim to a terrorist strike.

The poll was published as police said the elusive “Beltway sniper” had struck again, bringing his toll to eight dead and two wounded in the Washington area. Women and minorities were more fearful of sniper attacks than men or respondents identified as white. About 56% of women polled said they were somewhat or very concerned, compared with 38% of men surveyed.

Of the minorities responding to the poll, 58% said that they were somewhat or very concerned, compared with 44% of the whites of both sexes polled.

The poll of 1,000 adults age 18 and older for Newsweek by Princeton Survey Research Associates had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.