An alarming 66 per cent of Germans are afraid they will become the victim of a terrorist attack, with 10 per cent perceiving an “acute threat” to their safety.
The fear is even more widespread among women, the study published by German legal expenses insurance group ROLAND found.
Of the female respondents, 74 per cent said they sometimes feel unsafe in crowded places, and nine per cent felt permanently threatened and scared.
The authors state: “A large part of the population doesn’t feel safe anymore when visiting crowded places. The fear of becoming the victim of a terrorist attack with a high number of casualties is considerable.
“A total of 45 per cent of respondents feel uneasy when visiting crowded locations like stations, festivals or even in the downtowns.
“Three percent of the population feel permanently unsafe when visiting a public place along with many other people.”
The poll, of 1,458 citizens over 16-years-old, was conducted in October, before the Islamic State truck attack on the Berlin Christmas market in which Tunisia migrant murdered 12 people.