Quinnipiac: Homegrown Jihadists Worry Americans More Than Refugees

Most Americans are worried about homegrown jihadists than they are about the possibility that terrorists could be hiding among Syrian refugees being brought into the United States, a new Quinnipiac University national poll finds.

According to the poll:

• 58 percent are concerned about jihadists;
• 16 percent worry about the Syrian refugees;
• 17 percent most fear radicalized foreign visitors.

Meanwhile, most American voters oppose, by 52-42 percent, allowing Syrian refugees into the United States, but those numbers were divided among political parties:

• Democrats would accept refugees 68 – 23 percent;
• Republicans oppose 84 – 14 percent;
• Independent voters are divided as 46 percent support accepting refugees with 49 percent opposed.

Opinions on security screening for Syrian refugees, though, depended on how much voters knew. Half the respondents, without receiving a description of the current screening process, were asked if screening should be more strict, and 69 percent agreed, with 24 percent saying the process was about right.

But among the half who received a description of the process, 69 percent said it should be even more strict, while 24 percent said it sounds about right.

"It takes time and meticulous vetting to be accepted as a Syrian refugee," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Voters who know that are far more accepting than those who may not understand the process, and Americans are far more concerned about the threat from within, homegrown terrorists, than they are about someone being welcomed to the U.S. as a refugee and committing an act of terror."

Meanwhile, 83 percent of the voters polled said they believe a major terrorist attack in the United States in the near future is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely."

In other findings:

• Government anti-terror policies have not gone far enough to protect the country, 61 percent of American voters say, while 27 percent say anti-terror policies have gone too far in restricting civil liberties.
• American voters support 77 – 18 percent changing gun laws to ban people on the government’s terrorist watch list from purchasing guns. Support is 73 percent or higher among all party, gender, ethnic, education and age groups.
• Voters support 54 – 41 percent sending U.S. ground troops to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria and say 62 – 23 percent the U.S. and its allies are losing the war against ISIS.

For the poll, Quinnipiac surveyed 1,453 registered voters nationwide, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

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