America's Fears - Today and Tomorrow

Newswise — We asked our readers, "If you could poll the American people, what would you ask?" Our readers responded and Future Brief is pleased to announce the results of a national poll gauging public opinion on a variety of issues. This week, our results show that Americans feel most threatened by terrorism and crime and that Americans predict that genetic engineering will have the greatest impact on their lives ten years from now. In this poll, we asked Americans which factors, from terrorism to nuclear war, posed the greatest threat to their security; how they felt that technology would affect their lives ten years from now; and how they felt the government should respond to a deadly pandemic. The poll of more than 2,000 Americans was conducted by Zogby International, one of America's leading opinion research organizations. The results of the poll can be found on our website. Further polling results on various future-oriented topics will be released over the coming weeks.

The results of the poll can be found on our website. Further polling results on various future-oriented topics will be released over the coming weeks.

http://www.futurebrief.com/pollpage.asp

A further explanation of our experiment in "citizen polling" and instructions for submitting future polling questions can be found at

http://www.futurebrief.com/polloffer.asp.

About Future Brief

Quantum physics, terrorism, Moore's Law, global warming, increasing human migration, incurable deadly viruses, ever more sophisticated surveillance, the list goes on and on. We speak of "global community", but can forget that community-building has always been a painful experience in human history. The reward potential is balanced by the risk potential. Neither should be ignored.

Scientists today speak of the "NBIC convergence" - the interaction of advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, the information sciences, and the cognitive sciences. Future Brief takes one step back and looks at the greater convergence of the accelerating changes in science and technology with the equally rapidly accelerating changes in society and politics.

Future Brief is an organic, growing resource center. What you see now is only a beginning. Our purpose is not only to provide commentary, but also to provide services to those with an interest in global convergence. This convergence is of critical importance to all of us today and to those who will follow us in the future. We can either choose to deal constructively with it now or be forced to deal with it abruptly following a global catastrophe. We opt for the former.

Future Brief is an integral part of the work of New Global Initiatives, Inc., an American firm with a global perspective and global operations based in Bethesda, Maryland. However, New Global, as we're called informally, sees Future Brief as a collaborative effort with others sharing similar concerns and interests. Your participation in this site's development is not simply welcomed, it is genuinely encouraged. If you have ideas or recommendations, let us know.

Not only is our global community changing, it is changing at an accelerating pace. If you don't keep up, you will fall behind. Linear thinking will not suffice in an exponentially changing world.

http://www.futurebrief.com/