Yesterday, I heard someone say that they were planning to go to D.C. for the weekend, and while they were looking forward to the trip, the notion of fighting the hundreds of thousands in the crowds was less than appealing. Last week I went to the mall, and I had never seen so many people there. This got me thinking, and I remembered reading one of the latest Gallup polls that said the majority of Americans fear terrorism now more than they did prior to the invasion of Iraq. Of course, this poll is part of the ever-increasing amount of wind being made about the war and its merits or deficiencies within the larger picture of the war on terror, but is it true?
In economics there is a principle called ?revealed preferences.? Simply put, people will say they prefer or think one way, but their actions reveal that deep down there is something else going on. In other words, actions speak louder than words. This principle is one fast food restaurants routinely run into when surveying customers. Americans will say they want low fat, healthy foods like salads or fruit, but they buy everything salty, sweet, and greasy. The same is true of these polls showing millions of Americans fearing terrorism after Iraq more than before. There are none of the signs you would expect to see from a fearful population. People continue to fly, to shop at malls, and to congregate at large outdoor events like the Fourth of July festivities in D.C. This is not a cowered fearful populace; it is one that feels relatively secure.
I believe the war in Iraq has had a profound influence on people?s revealed fear preferences. Instead of worrying about suicide bombers at the local supermarket like the people of Israel face, our battle is being fought thousands of miles away in a foreign land. The administration has effectively moved the war away from American soil, so instead of attacks in New York claiming thousands of lives, the terrorist?s attention is diverted to fighting us in countries like Afghanistan and Iraq. Critics see the U.S. getting distracted in a place that has nothing to do with the war on terror, while I see the terrorists doing that. George Bush has done just what he said he would do, he has taken the fight to the terrorists, and he has made America itself safer. Let?s sit down this Fourth of July, and be grateful for that.