EXCLUSIVE: Less Than 1 in 10 Say the US Is Fully Prepared to Respond to a Bioterrorism Attack

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Just 9% of Americans consider the United States extremely prepared to respond to a biological threat, while terrorism remains Americans’ leading national security concern, a new poll suggests.

The poll, conducted by Defend Forgotten America, asked respondents if they considered America “extremely prepared” to respond to bioterrorism threats. Many respondents (44%) said America is “somewhat prepared” for a biological threat. But about one-third say the United States is not prepared at all.

The survey comes amid the U.S. conflict with Iran, and concerns about Iranian sleeper terrorism cells in the U.S.

“These survey results confirm what we already know—leaders in Washington must take decisive action to protect Americans across the country from attack and threats to our nation’s security,” Jenn Pellegrino, CEO of Defend Forgotten America, said in a statement first provided to The Daily Signal. “President [Donald] Trump has never hesitated to confront threats to the American people, and now it is time to tackle this challenge.”

Pellegrino, a former America First Policy Institute spokeswoman, founded Defend Forgotten America in order to advocate for the heartland in rural and small urban America. Her organization surveyed 800 registered voters from March 18 to March 23 and found that concerns about terrorism, nuclear weapons, cyberattacks, and bioterrorism outranked fears about Russia, China, border security, and transnational gang violence. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.46%. The organization weighted the survey to match the profile of registered voters nationwide from the 2024 presidential vote.

Most of the respondents (61%) said authorities had a bias toward protecting large cities when it comes to protecting the country from a biological threat. Just 30% said rural and urban Americans are treated equally. Most respondents (74%) said the federal government should invest equally in both areas, while just 19% said urban areas should get priority.

The survey found 86% favor increased federal investment in biological threat preparedness, with 41% strongly supporting it. When asked whether it should be a priority, a slim majority of respondents (52%) say it should be either a top or high priority.

Slightly more than one-third of respondents—37%—say America is more prepared now for a biological attack than it was 10 years ago. A plurality of respondents (44%) say America’s preparedness has remained about the same. Almost a third of respondents (29%) said they were extremely concerned about a biological attack and bioterrorism.

More than a third of respondents (37%) said they are concerned about terrorism. Almost as many (35%) said they are concerned about nuclear weapons proliferation, while similar percentages said they are concerned about cyberattacks on critical infrastructure (34%) and biological threats or bioterrorism (29%).

Only 14% of respondents said America’s Strategic National Stockpile is adequately stocked and maintained. The stockpile is the federal government’s repository of medicines, such as antibiotics, vaccines, equipment, and other critical medical supplies designed to supplement state and local resources. Meanwhile, most respondents (88%) support upgrading the Strategic National Stockpile.