Shutterstock.

For most people who live in a major city, like D.C., the phrase “See Something, Say Something” is all too familiar.

But according to a new Gallup poll, the majority of Americans (55 percent) have not heard the Department of Homeland Security slogan, which was licensed from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in 2010 and is part of a public awareness campaign to combat terrorism.

Unsurprisingly, familiarity was highest in the East, with 64 percent of those polled saying they knew the slogan. As Gallup points out: “Higher awareness levels in the East may be a reflection of where many of the recent terrorist actions and attempts have occurred.” That number fell to 44 percent in the Midwest, 39 in the South and 37 in the West. Higher levels of education also resulted in increased familiarity with “See Something, Say Something.”

“The relatively low awareness of this campaign slogan suggests there is still significant room for improvement to make the phrase and its aim more universally known,” Gallup says. “DHS might consider targeting different strategic partnerships in the South and West, researching and developing messaging that connects with those with lower levels of educational attainment, or even reassessing the slogan altogether if the implementation strategy cannot be improved.”

Gallup polled 1,019 people via telephone on December 17 and 18.