8 in 10 say cyberterrorism is top potential threat: Gallup

Cyberterrorism is seen as the top threat to the U.S., according to a new Gallup poll, surpassing nuclear weapons development and international terrorism.

According to the survey, 82 percent of respondents said cyberterrorism is a critical threat to the U.S.

Development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and Iran were listed at 77 and 75 percent, respectively. International terrorism and the spread of infectious disease throughout the world also ranked among the top five potential threats, according to the poll released Monday.

No partisan split was found in results for cyberterrorism, the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and international terrorism, Gallup noted.

Republicans were more likely than Democrats to view the development of nuclear weapons by Iran as a threat, however, while Democrats were more likely to list the global spread of infectious diseases.

“The events of the past two years have affected Americans’ perceptions regarding the type of threat that a number of issues and situations pose to the vital interests of the U.S.,” Gallup wrote. “Recent hacks by Russia and China have kept cyberterrorism atop the list of 11 potential threats, and continued tensions with North Korea and Iran over their nuclear weapons aspirations have kept these among the top perceived threats.”

The poll was conducted from Feb. 3 to 18, which Gallup notes was shortly after President Biden discussed the SolarWinds hack and other issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the breach, likely Russian hackers targeted software from IT group SolarWinds and other vectors to infiltrate at least nine federal agencies and 100 private sector groups. 

The White House said Biden during the call with Putin made it clear “that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies.”

The new survey’s sample size was 1,021 adults in the U.S. aged 18 or older and its results had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.