Changes in attitudes towards war and violence after September 11, 2001

Two inter‐related studies examined the effect of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on attitudes towards war and violence. A three‐wave between‐subjects analysis revealed that attitudes towards war became more positive after September 11, 2001 and remained high over a year afterwards. Self‐reported trait physical aggression also rose after September 11. Attitudes towards penal code violence (PCV) became more positive immediately after September 11, but were somewhat reduced a year afterward. A two‐wave within subjects study revealed that war attitudes became even more positive at 2 months post‐September 11. Attitudes towards PCV became less positive during this time period, but only for women. Other aggression‐related attitudes were not affected in either study. These studies demonstrate that a large‐scale event can change attitudes, but those attitudes must be directly relevant to the event. Aggr. Behav. 33:1–12, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss; Inc.