ISIS a Threat to Americans, Poll Respondents Say

On Wednesday in Washington, D.C. a U.S. Senate committee took testimony on President Barack Obama's request for authorization to use force against the terrorist group ISIS. On Thursday, Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind released a poll that revealed New Jersey residents are concerned that ISIS poses a threat to Americans in the United States, but they were divided on what the country should do about it.

The surveyed shows that a clear majority of Garden State residents feel the ISIS threat is both wide and deep:

• 71 percent said ISIS poses a threat to Americans by disrupting stability in the Middle East;
• 87 percent said Americans abroad are threatened by ISIS;
• 72 percent said ISIS poses a threat to Americans in the U.S.

"Seeing so many people fearful of the threat that ISIS poses to Americans in the United States is alarming," said Krista Jenkins, professor of political science at FDU and director of PublicMind. "I think they've been very good at using social media with their threats to take their fight beyond the territory that they control."

When asked how the U.S. should respond to the ISIS threat New Jersey residents were split. Forty percent favor sending American troops into ISIS-controlled in order to defeat the terrorist group while 49 percent were opposed the strategy of sending Americans troops.

"Even with the ISIS threat, putting troops in harm's way appears unjustified to some, while others believe it's a rational response to the threats posed by their continuing presence," Jenkins said.

Republican respondents viewed the threat of ISIS more severely than Democrats or Independent voters. Republicans were also more supportive of sending American troops abroad to fight the terrorist group.

The survey of 901 adults in New Jersey was conducted by telephone with both landline and cell phones from Feb. 23 through March 1. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points.