Americans Think N.Korea Is More Dangerous Than ISIS

Four out of 10 Americans regard North Korea as the biggest threat to their national security, a poll suggests.

The survey by news website Politico and Morning Consult published Wednesday found that 40 percent of respondents see the North as the biggest threat, followed by ISIS (30 percent), Russia (16 percent), China (five percent), and Iran (three percent).

The older the respondents, the more likely they were to single out the North as the greatest threat, with 50 percent over 65, 42 percent aged 55 to 64, and 30 percent aged 18 to 29.

The poll was conducted on July 7-9, right after the North launched a long-range ballistic missile that may be capable of reaching some U.S. territories. Eighty-three percent of respondents said they had heard the news.

The threat that "firing such a missile on a standard trajectory 'would allow it to reach all of Alaska'... appears to be weighing on the minds of Americans," Morning Consult said.

A majority were for military action against the North, with 49 percent backing air strikes against suspected nuclear sites and 33 percent sending ground troops. Seventy-five percent supported additional sanctions on the North and 72 percent called for sanctions against third countries that do business with the North.

The nationwide online survey polled just 1,983 American voters.

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