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News Release: Pace University Poll Shows 69% of Americans Believe Technology-Based Terrorist Threat Likely Within 3-5 Years"
Pace University Poll Shows 69% of Americans Believe Technology-Based Terrorist Threat Likely Within 3-5 Years
Poll Results Released at Pace University InsideTrack Conversation with Former NSA Senior Counsel and Inspector General Joel F. Brenner
NEW YORK – Pace University announced today the results of a new poll showing that 69% of Americans believe a technology-based terrorist threat is likely to occur within the next 3-5 years. The poll shows that fear of these kinds of cyber-threats increases with age, reflecting a potential generational divide in how technology is understood and experienced. The results of this poll were released as part of Pace University’s InsideTrack series during a conversation between Joel F. Brenner, the former Inspector General and Senior Counsel at the National Security Agency, and Pace University President Stephen J. Friedman.
“We live in extraordinary times. Just last weekend a cyberattack cut millions of Americans off from the internet. And throughout the presidential election cycle hacked emails have been released in an attempt to influence America’s most fundamental and democratic process,” said Pace University President Stephen J. Friedman. “We are ever-more reliant on technology and our vulnerability to cyber criminals and cyber-attacks increases in tandem.”
“There is no electronic system that cannot be hacked,” said Joel F. Brenner, former Inspector General and Senior Counsel at the National Security Agency.
At this morning’s conversation, Brenner and Friedman discussed the security of federal government and state communications, the recent Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack and vulnerabilities that individuals and companies face from cyber-attacks, among other topics.
The Pace University poll surveyed 850 Americans, with results that highlight a clear generational difference in how people perceive cyber threats. Only 58% of participants under 30 believed that a technology-based terrorist threat was imminent, while 85% of participants over 60 felt the same way. Men are also more likely to fear these kinds of cyber-attacks, with 76% responding yes, compared with only 61% of women.
In addition to his years of service at the NSA, Joel F. Brenner is also the bestselling author of two books on cybercrime and espionage in America, Glass Houses and America the Vulnerable.
Complete poll results can be accessed and a comprehensive report containing poll results and analysis can be downloaded at www.pace.edu/news
About Pace University
Since 1906, Pace University has produced thinking professionals by providing high-quality education for the professions with a firm base in liberal learning amid the advantages of the New York Metropolitan Area. A private university, Pace has campuses in New York City and Westchester County, enrolling almost 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in its College of Health Professions, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences, Lubin School of Business, School of Education, Elisabeth Haub School of Law and Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems.
To view analysis and polls click here:
Pace University Poll on Technology-Based Terrorism (PDF)
Pace University Poll on Technology-Based Terrorist Threats: Comprehensive Results (PDF)
