Government Documents for You

The National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) is a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence, tasked by the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate with using state-of-the-art theories, methods, and data from the social and behavioral sciences to improve understanding of the origins, dynamics, and social and psychological impacts of terrorism. START, based at the University of Maryland, College Park, aims to provide timely guidance on how to disrupt terrorist networks, reduce the incidence of terrorism, and enhance the resilience of U.S. society in the face of the terrorist threat.

START published a research report entitled "Public Response to Terrorism: Findings from the National Survey of Disaster Experiences and Preparedness." A national survey was conducted to study people’s experiences with, preparedness and mitigation actions for, and perceptions related to terrorism and other disasters. The report examines fifteen different questions, with some listed below:

How prepared is the public for future disasters?
What have people done to prepare for terrorism?
What are people avoiding because of terrorism?
What do people know about terrorism and other related topics?
What do people think about the possibility of a future terrorist attack?
How Prepared is the Nation?

"Public Response to Terrorism: Findings from the National Survey of Disaster Experiences and Preparedness" can be found at: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/sciprc/pdf/NC+START+Descriptive+Report.pdf

Other START publications can be found here: http://www.start.umd.edu/start/publications/