Story highlights
A CNN survey finds 27% of Americans are worried about getting Ebola
More people are concerned about being victimized by terrorism
President Obama says chances of an outbreak in the U.S. are "extremely low"
But he says its spread in West Africa is a "national security priority"
While President Barack Obama acknowledged Tuesday that the chances of an Ebola outbreak in the United States “are extremely low,” roughly one in four Americans are worried that they or someone in their family will become a victim of the virus, according to a new survey.
The CNN/ORC International poll, which was released Tuesday, indicates that 27% of Americans are concerned, compared to 73% who are not worried.
More people, 41%, are worried about being victimized by terrorism.
Obama: U.S. ready to take the lead in Ebola fight
Speaking about the deadly Ebola outbreak centered in West Africa, Obama said Tuesday the world is looking to” the United States to lead international efforts to combat the virus.
He described the fight as a “national security priority” because its further spread could lead to dangerous instability in West Africa and beyond.
Senator: Ebola as serious as ISIS
“If the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political, economic and security implications for all of us,” Obama said from the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the new survey, more women than men fear that someone in their family will contract the disease, 32% to 21%.
The poll was conducted for CNN by ORC International by telephone with 1,014 adult Americans on September 5-7. The poll’s overall sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points.