Memories of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 are burned deeply into the nation's consciousness, and Americans today are as fearful of becoming a victim of terrorism as they are of losing their job or having their home burglarized, according to a recent poll.

The poll, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs, found that 98 percent remember exactly what they were doing three years ago when hijackers flew jetliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing almost 3,000.

Those memories can resurface with the most routine cues, a plane flying overhead, a siren from a passing ambulance or news about the ongoing war in Iraq.

For most, the dominant feeling about that day was deep anger that anyone would commit such an act against this country, the poll found that party line does not affect how people feel on that day.

About four in 10 Americans say they worry about becoming a victim of terrorism. That is about the same level of concern people have about getting burglarized or losing their job. Women were more likely than men to worry about being victimized by terrorists, but they were also more likely to worry about other things such as a burglary or having a car accident.

Only one in five of those who worry about a terrorist attack say it affects how they live. The poll found people who are most concerned about terrorism are more likely to support President Bush, but they are also more likely to blame him for the attacks. Those who were not as concerned about a terrorist attack were morelikely to support Democrat candidate John Kerry.

The poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Aug. 27-29 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Source: Xinhua