Americans have grown increasingly concerned that North Korea poses a very serious threat to the United States, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.
The poll was completed after news reports of North Korean missile tests involving intercontinental ballistic missiles which have the potential to reach the US under the right conditions. Interviewing for the poll wrapped up on Monday, before an eventful Tuesday when news emerged that US intelligence believes North Korea has miniaturized a nuclear warhead and President Donald Trump threatened to respond to Pyongyang with «fire and fury» should they threaten the US.
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The poll found that before those comments, Trump merited more negative than positive reviews for his handling of the situation with North Korea. Half (50%) say they disapprove of Donald Trump’s handling of it, 37% say they approve and another 13% say they aren’t sure about his handling of the issue.
With six in 10 people polled calling North Korea a very serious threat, the country is now viewed as a more serious threat than Iran (33%) or China (20%) , and is about on par with the perceived threat posed by ISIS (64%) . Fewer, however, said they saw the country’s military and weapons capabilities as a crisis for the United States (32% saw it that way) . That figure is higher now than it was in 2003, not long after the completion of the first round of six-party talks aimed at curtailing Pyongyang’s efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. Back then, 22% considered the country’s weapons and military capability to be a crisis.
Concerns about North Korea and views on its ability to hit the United States are similar across party lines, according to the poll.
