Reflecting some important shifts in US public opinion over the past decade, the poll by Pew Research Centre found that the public’s views are more evenly divided today in response to the question, “Why do they hate us?”

Today 43 percent agree with the proposition that the attacks may have been motivated by something “the US did wrong in its dealings with other countries”, and 45 percentdisagree. Immediately after the attacks, a majority of respondents (55 percent) rejected that notion, while only a third agreed.

The shift, however, was mainly confined to self-described Democrats and independents, half of whom now believe US policies may have motivated Al Qaeda.

Republicans, on the other hand, remained steadfast, as on a number of other key issues, in their view that the attacks were not motivated by anything the US had done.

The survey also found major differences between age groups on this question.  More than half (52 percent) of respondents under 30 said US actions may have motivated the attacks, while only 20 percent of respondents 65 and older were open to that explanation.