Americans Worried about Safety of Olympians, Feb 2018

Six in ten Americans (60%) are concerned for the safety of the American athletes competing in the Winter Olympics in South Korea. This includes 21% of residents who are very concerned about their well-being and 39% who are concerned about their security. 39% are either not too concerned (25%) or are not concerned at all (14%) about the safety of Team USA.

“There have been security problems in the past at the Olympics,” says Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, Director of The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion. “People understand this isn’t the calmest place in the world right now.”

Regardless of demographic group, at least half of adults have a considerable amount of concern about the safety of the American athletes in South Korea. Republicans (69%) and Americans 60 and older (69%) are more likely than others to express worry.

A majority of Americans (53%) are either or very concerned (16%) or concerned (37%) that terrorism will disrupt the games in PyeongChang. 44% are either not too concerned (28%) or are not concerned at all (16%).

Of note, Americans age 45 or older (60%), those without a college degree (60%), and women (59%) are more likely than younger residents (47%), those with a college degree (45%), and men (48%) to worry that a terrorist attack will occur at this month’s Winter Olympics.

Complete February 6, 2018 Marist Poll Release of the United States
Complete February 6, 2018 Marist Poll of the United States (Tables of Adults and Registered Voters)
Marist Poll Methodology
Nature of the Sample