Only one in four Americans are afraid of a disaster or emergency situation taking place in their community.

That's according to a recent poll released by SUNYIT and Zogby Analytics, and presented during the college's "Safety and Security in the Global Age" conference Thursday morning. A small group of about 30 officials were on hand to discuss the results and how they were obtained.

Senior Analyst, John Zogby, says the results show Americans are mindful that an emergency could occur, but they are not preoccupied with thinking about it.

Gino Geruntino, WIBX
Gino Geruntino, WIBX
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"I still have to put food on the table, I can't be preoccupied looking over my shoulder," Zogby said. "I gotta live. Some of it I think is American culture, which says, 'Okay, in the immediate aftermath, do something, but then we want to go back to living our lives.'"

The poll was taken during a two span on May 8th and 9th, with a sampling error of slightly more than three percent.

Zogby Analytics' poll found that only 26 percent of those asked thought a "general emergency" could occur in their community, while nearly half said if an emergency were to happen, it would take place in a shopping mall.

"We asked people how worried they are that a disaster, from a natural disaster to a mass shooting to a terrorist attack, could happen in their community." "One quarter or less said that it was likely. Many more, twice as many, in fact, said not likely at all."

The pollster also says although more than half of the 1,000 people polled nationwide were confident in their knowledge of safety procedures, only one-third (36 percent) said they actually had a plan in place.

In addition, the poll also showed that nearly two-thirds of people are fine with metal detectors at airports and train stations, though less than half wanted to see them in schools.

To see the entire poll, click here.

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