Teens Fear Shooting at Their School Despite Rarity

A new poll released on Wednesday found a majority of American teens were worried about a potential shooting taking place in their school despite how rare school shootings are in the United States.

Fifty-seven percent of those aged 13 to 17 told the Pew Research Center they worried about the possibility of a shooting occurring at the school they attend. Thirty-two percent said they were somewhat worried while another 25 percent said they were very worried about a shooting.

The poll, conducted among 743 teens between March 7 and April 10, comes in the wake of the high-profile school shooting in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 dead and garnered several weeks of nationwide media attention. Some survivors of the shooting have become the face of a new gun-control group called the March for Our Lives, which held marches last month that also garnered a great deal of national media coverage.

The poll also comes after researchers at Northeastern University announced their finding that school shootings are rare events in the United States and are happening at a less frequent rate than in the 1990s.

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