By Xinhua
Washington : A new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found few Americans plan to observe the upcoming 9/11 anniversary in a formal way, though the majority still regards the terror attack as the most memorable event in their lifetime.
The poll, released here Monday, found 71 percent of Americans called 9/11 the most memorable news event of their lifetime.
Asked whether 9/11 changed the way they live, 29 percent said yes — up from 18 percent five years ago.
However, only 6 percent said they would observe Tuesday’s anniversary in a formal way, such as attending a memorial event or taking the day off.
Most of them, 71 percent, — said they would mark it informally, perhaps by praying, keeping a moment of silence or watching news coverage.
Almost one-quarter said they didn’t plan to observe it at all.
Edward Linenthal, a University of Indiana scholar who has written about memorials in U.S. history, says a certain loss of focus is inevitable on “the in-between anniversaries” whose years don’t end in 5 or 0.
“Like any event, even Pearl Harbor, the more time goes by, the less central it becomes to our experience,” says Robert Thompson, a Syracuse University professor who studies U.S. popular culture.