CBS News poll: 25 years after 9/11, most see a changed country and some success fighting terrorism, tell me about this news in (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/911-poll-2026-cbs-news/)

The CBS News/YouGov survey, conducted in September 2026 to mark 25 years since the September 11, 2001 attacks, highlights how Americans reflect on the event’s enduring legacy, national security, and societal unity:A Nation Permanently ChangedA large majority of Americans continue to view 9/11 as a defining turning point that altered the country forever and believe it remains vital to commemorate the victims and the tragedy. Approximately one in four adults across the nation report having visited a 9/11 memorial or museum.Generational PerspectivesWhile older generations place the strongest emphasis on actively remembering the day, younger Americansmany of whom were not yet born or are too young to recall the events firsthandstill broadly recognize 9/11 as a major, consequential event that reshaped modern history, largely learning about it through schools, families, and media.Assessment of the “War on Terrorism”Most respondents feel that the U.S. campaign against terrorism over the past quarter-century has been at least somewhat successful in making the nation safer. Although relatively few people feel they are in immediate personal danger from terrorism, a persistent sense of unease lingers, with sentiment closely matching the poll results from the 20-year anniversary in 2021.Preparedness and Partisan DividesThe public is split on whether the United States is adequately prepared to handle another major terrorist attack. These opinions fall heavily along partisan lines: most Republicans believe the country is prepared, whereas a majority of Democrats and independents express doubt.Security, Privacy, and Fading UnityReflecting on the societal shifts since 2001, Americans report feeling that today’s country has noticeably more security but significantly less privacy and less national unity. While the period immediately following 9/11 was marked by near-universal solidarity and record-high presidential approval ratings, today only about half believe the country would unite similarly in the face of an overseas attack, and around 40%particularly those who remember 9/11 vividlydoubt that kind of unity would happen again.