Mr Tony Blair's show of solidarity with President Bush in Washington last night reflected the angry mood of the British public, according to the most recent survey of attitudes.
Yesterday's Gallup Poll showed 70 per cent of Britons in favour of military action against countries believed to harbour America's terrorist enemies, and almost as many (67 per cent) agreed with the Prime Minister that the country was effectively "at war".
While just 3 per cent believed the US should refrain from military strikes in response to last week's terrorist attacks, an astonishing 93 per cent said people suspected of aiding and abetting terrorists should be arrested and interned.
When the respondents were asked if, as far they knew, military action taken against the terrorists and their allies would result in a wider conflict between the Western and Islamic worlds, 78 per cent said Yes, while 14 per cent said it would not, and 8 per cent said they did not know.
They reflected nervousness about the consequences of military action. Well over half of all Britons (57 per cent), according to the poll for the Daily Telegraph, admitted they were "very worried" or "somewhat worried" they or someone in their family might fall victim to a terrorist attack.
Less than one quarter of those surveyed were prepared to say the US brought the terrorist attacks upon themselves, with 66 per cent rejecting the proposition.
Only 13 per cent of Britons agreed the US "should conduct military strikes immediately against known terrorist organisations, even if it is not clear who caused the attacks last week".
A high 82 per cent said the US and its allies should only conduct military strikes against the terrorist organisations responsible for the attacks
An ICM poll for the Scotsman showed three out of four Scots believe the Scottish Executive should have a say in whether British troops should be involved in retaliatory action.
Only 22 per cent of those surveyed believed the deployment of troops should be the sole preserve of the Ministry of Defence, Foreign Office and the UK cabinet.