Fear of Terrorist Attacks at an All time High in US: Polls

Nearly 47 percent Americans believe the United States is not a safe place to stay in, more so than before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The number is up from 28 percent last year, according to a poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal.

Interestingly, 61 percent believe that the United States needs to undertake military strikes against the Islamist State in Iraq and Syria.

Only 13 percent said such an action wasn't in the national interest. A  34 percent said  the use of U.S. ground troops was okay to combat the Islamist forces .

"A very war-weary country... seems to have woken up to the real threat that ISIS may present," said Bill McInturff, one of the pollsters who conducted the survey, according to The Associated Press.

The recent beheadings of two American journalists has brought the reality of the brutal war in the Middle East near home.

"The beheadings [of journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff] are so chilling to the American public," said one Republican pollster, reports the NBC. "The only things I think of equal impact are the self-immolations back in Vietnam."

The poll found a massive 94 percent of Americans had heard about the news of the beheaded journalists - higher than any other news event the NBC/WSJ poll has measured over the past five years, reports the NBC.

The poll was released ahead of President Obama's primetime address elaborating on his plans to combat the threat of the Islamic State also known as ISIL or ISIS. In the address he said that the United States was ready for a limited military presence along with the implicit help of its Middle East allies.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Sept. 3 to Sept. 7.