A YouGov survey released Monday, timed to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, found substantial differences between Democrats and Republicans on how the country remembers the attacks and how their aftermath continues to shape American life.
The poll found that 13% of registered Democrats believe Americans currently focus too much on remembering the September 11, 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people when hijacked passenger planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.
By contrast, 19% of Democrats said Americans focus too little on the attacks, compared with 43% of Republicans who said the same.
The two parties also diverged on whether September 11 should become a national holiday commemorating those who died: 62% of Republicans supported the idea, versus 43% of Democrats.
Views on Muslims and the attacks’ legacy
The survey found even wider gaps on questions about the treatment of Muslims in the U.S. since the attacks. Seventy-one percent of Democrats said the attacks continue to affect how Muslims are treated, compared with 42% of Republicans. Asked whether Muslims have been treated worse than people of other religions since 9/11, 72% of Democrats agreed, compared with 28% of Republicans.
Disagreement over extremism
Respondents were also asked which type of extremism has been responsible for the greatest number of violent attacks in the U.S. since September 11. Forty-five percent of Democrats pointed to right-wing extremism, compared with just 6% of Republicans. Twenty-six percent of Republicans cited left-wing extremism, compared with 2% of Democrats. On Islamic extremism, 29% of Republicans and 14% of Democrats said it was responsible for the most attacks.
The poll offers a snapshot of how divided Americans remain, a quarter-century after the attacks, on questions of memory, policy, and the lasting effects of that day on American society.
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