— After a recent attempted terrorist attack set off a debate about
full-body scans at airports, a new McClatchy-Ipsos poll finds that
Americans lean more toward giving up some of their liberty in exchange
for more safety.
The survey found 51 percent of Americans agreeing
that “it is necessary to give up some civil liberties in order to make
the country safe from terrorism.”
At the same time, 36 percent agreed that “some of
the government’s proposals will go too far in restricting the public’s
civil liberties.”
The rest were undecided or said their opinions would depend on circumstances.
As has happened often since the 2001 terrorist
attacks, the renewed debate over security is hinging on the balance
between personal liberty and safety. The suspect’s success in boarding
a
plane allegedly carrying explosives is setting off calls for full-body
scans, which some find an invasion of privacy, and for new restrictions
on passengers once they’re in flight.
To stop terrorists, Americans look first to better
governmental coordination and use of intelligence, the poll found, with
81 percent calling that effective and only 11 percent calling it
ineffective.
Body scans or full-body searches at airports ranked
second, named by 74 percent as an effective way to stop terrorism.
Nineteen percent called those measures ineffective.
Further restrictions on carry-on baggage ranked third, called effective by 57 percent, ineffective by 34 percent.
New in-flight restrictions such as banning the use
of laptops and electronic equipment or restricting people to their
seats ranked last, called effective by 50 percent and ineffective by 42
percent.
A solid majority of Americans still feel safe flying, but the number has dropped.
The survey found 75 percent saying they feel safe,
down from 86 percent in 2007, and 24 percent saying they don’t feel
safe in the air, up from 13 percent in 2007.
Even with the alleged
bombing attempt and all the news coverage of it and its aftermath,
terrorism remains very low on the national priority list; just 4
percent called it the country’s most important problem.
The economy and jobs remained the top issue on
people’s minds by far, named as the top problem by 48 percent of
Americans polled.
Other domestic issues were cited by 31 percent, topped by 9 percent who said that health care was the biggest problem.
Fourteen percent cited some aspect of war or foreign policy, including the 4 percent who named terrorism.
The poll found that 52 percent approved of the way President
Methodology
These are some of the findings of a poll conducted from last Thursday through Monday. For the survey,
With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate within
2.68 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would’ve been
had the entire adult population in the U.S. been polled. All sample
surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including
coverage and measurement error. These data were weighted to ensure that
the sample’s composition reflects that of the U.S. population according
to census figures. Respondents had the option to be interviewed in
English or Spanish.
—
(c) 2010, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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