A new poll released on Tuesday reveals that recent world events have cast a spotlight on the importance of foreign policy for the current administration. A majority of Americans admit that they are living in fear of a terrorist attack on U.S. soil that they feel is imminent and have also expressed concern that Congress is incapable of keeping the country safe from such a threat.

According to the Al Jazeera America/Monmouth University poll, most U.S. citizens are currently feeling particularly "jittery" about terrorism, having witnessed the recent attacks in Paris. The poll also revealed that Americans harbor doubts that terrorist networks like ISIL can be stopped, even if U.S. troops do get involved in the effort.

Nearly 75 percent of individuals polled say that it is likely that a terrorist attack similar to the one seen in Paris will occur within the United States in the next few months. Adding insult to injury, many respondents reported a good deal of doubt that "Washington is on top of things when it comes to keeping the country safe from terrorism," pollsters said.

Although the latter findings are less severe, the general American public is certainly split on whether the U.S. government is doing enough to prevent future attacks on American soil. Of those polled, 44 percent say the government is prepared to handle such a threat, while 49 percent don't believe enough is being done to prevent an attack from occurring.

Focusing on the demographics of these findings, the majority of Democrats -- 57 percent -- feel the government is well-prepared to prevent terrorism on the home turf, while the majority of Republicans -- 67 percent -- disagree, saying Congress is ill prepared in preventing an attack from taking place.

Younger Americans are more likely to side with the Democratic perspective in this case, with 55 percent of respondents aged 18-34 saying they are confident that they can rely on the government when it comes to public safety in the face of terrorist threats. Conversely, just 32 percent of respondents aged 55 and older have faith that Washington will keep the country safe from any perceived threat.

In terms of targeting specific sources of terrorism-induced anxiety, 75 percent of Americans agree that ISIL poses a major threat to U.S. security, while 19 percent are convinced the group poses a minor threat. A small minority of those polled -- just 3 percent -- feel ISIL poses no threat whatsoever to the United States.

When asked about how to deal with the ISIL terror network, approximately 45 percent of Americans feel that ISIL can be shut down only in the event that U.S. troops are sent to the Middle East to engage in combat. Meanwhile, 17 percent of those polled report that they believe ISIL can be stopped without the need for military intervention. However, 32 percent of the American public believe that ISIL will be impossible to shut down even if the U.S. sent in combat troops.

This scenario seems to preclude party lines, as approximately one-third of Republicans (31 percent), Democrats (34 percent) and Independents (33 percent) alike have arrived at the grim conclusion that ISIL can't be shut down regardless of actions taken.

This Al Jazeera America/Monmouth University poll was conducted via telephone interviews that took place between Jan. 13, 2015 and Jan. 15, 2015. A total of 1,003 respondents were included in the poll, all of whom were adults over the age of 18 currently residing in the United States. The sample's reported margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.

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