Fifty-seven percent of teens ages 13-17 worry a shooting could happen at their school, according to a Pew Research survey published Wednesday.
Parents of teens express similar concerns, with 63 percent saying they are at least somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting at their kid's school. The survey comes two months after a mass shooting in Florida left 17 dead and 17 injured.
The shooter, a former student, used an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to fire off rounds before fleeing the scene. The shooting was the nation's deadliest since a gunman attacked an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, over five years ago.
The survey also found 86 percent of teens say preventing people with mental illnesses from purchasing guns would be very effective or somewhat effective. The same percentage say improving mental health screening and treatment would be very effective or somewhat effective.
Only 39 percent say allowing teachers to carry guns in schools would be very effective or somewhat effective at preventing school shootings.
Among adults, 89 percent say improving mental health screening and treatment would be very effective or somewhat effective, while 85 percent say preventing people with mental illnesses from purchasing guns would be very effective or somewhat effective.
"About 8-in-10 Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents [78 percent] say that allowing teachers to carry guns in schools would be very or somewhat effective at preventing school shootings, compared with just 24 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents," according to study.
Non-white teens express a higher level of concern than their white peers: 64 percent of nonwhite teens, including 73 percent of Hispanics, say they are at least somewhat worried, compared with 51 percent of white teens.
The fears differ by gender as well: 64 percent of girls say they are very or somewhat worried about a shooting happening at their school, compared with 51 percent of boys.
Income differences were evident among the parents: 82 percent of parents who make less than $30,000 said they are concerned about a shooting at their child's school, the poll found.
In comparison, of parents who make more than $75,000, 53 percent expressed concern.
The poll's margin of error for the full sample is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.