[Infowarrior] - UPI/Zogby Poll: Negative Ratings on Keeping U.S. Safe from Terrorism

[Richard Forno]

UPI/Zogby Poll: Majority give Bush Negative Ratings on Keeping U.S. Safe
from Terrorism

http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm?ID=1290

But half of Americans believe Bush Administration has allowed security
measures to trump personal freedoms

More than half of Americans give President Bush 55% negative ratings on his
performance in keeping the United States safe from terrorism and give the
Department of Homeland Security a similar negative rating (56%) on its
efforts. Nearly half of Americans (49%) believe the Bush administration has
tipped the balance between personal security and personal freedom too far
towards security, depriving the American people of too many freedoms, a new
UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Slightly more than half (53%) said they are against the government having
the ability to temporarily suspend federal privacy laws to enable agencies
to better share counter-terrorism information, including the personal data
of American citizens. Americans are divided over the Terrorism Surveillance
Program. Half said they have a favorable view of the TSP under which the
National Security Agency can monitor the international telephone and email
communications of American citizens without a warrant if the communication
includes and individual suspected of having ties to a terrorist organization
like al-Qaeda. But nearly as many (45%) said they have a unfavorable view of
the program. More than half (55%) said the TSP is a necessary and legal tool
to protect Americans against terrorist activity, while 42% disagree.

The interactive survey of 5,932 adults nationwide was conducted from April
13-16, 2007 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.3 percentage points.

The majority of Americans (70%) said they support the REAL ID program, which
requires each state to change its drivers license systems to meet national
standards and ensure that their databases are compatible with other states,
although one in four (24%) said they oppose the program. However, half (52%)
said they are opposed to a federal law requiring all persons living in the
United States to carry a National ID card that contains biometric
information, such as fingerprint identification.

More than half (56%) said they have an unfavorable opinion of the
Transportation Security Administration, which oversees airport screening and
security. The majority (59%) said they believe airline security screeners
use racial or ethnic profiling when screening airline passengers, and 65%
believe screeners should use racial profiling. Nearly half (49%) believe the
Terror Watch List or ³No Fly List² is an effective means of screening
airline passengers, while slightly fewer (42%) don¹t believe it is
effective. But most (57%) believe the ban on bringing certain amounts of
liquids on airplanes is too excessive a security measure.

Nearly half (49%) believe the creation of the Department of Homeland
Security has added another level of government bureaucracy and made domestic
security operations less ­ not more ­ efficient, while 34% believe the new
agency has helped make domestic security operations more efficient by
pooling talent and knowledge.

More Americans said they feel less safe (42%) than safer (35%) from
terrorism now compared to before the start of the Iraq war four years ago.
Half (51%) said they feel less safe with George W. Bush as president, while
43% said they feel safer with the current president leading the country.
These latest interactive findings show a shift to more people feeling less
safe with Bush as president compared with past Zogby International telephone
polling ­ a telephone poll in February 2006 showed 39% felt less safe and in
September 2005 42% said they felt less safe with Bush as president. In both
polls 51% said they felt safer with Bush as president.

In addition to feeling less safe, half of Americans (52%) believe it is
likely there will be another terrorist attack within U.S. borders in the
next 12 months resulting in the loss of American lives and even more (79%)
think such an attack is likely to take place within the next five years.
This is a stark change from a Zogby International telephone survey conducted
in June 2002 which found 90% believed a terrorist attack was likely in the
U.S. in the near future.

Nearly one in four (23%) said public areas are the potential targets most
vulnerable to terrorism, while 20% were most concerned about mass transit
systems, and 16% views ports, harbors and shipyards as the greatest
potential target. Border security and immigration was cited as the number
one issue facing the United States in terms of domestic security by 36%,
while 23% say the rise in anti-Americanism is the top issue and 15% cite
Islamic radicalization.

Americans are divided on whether domestic or foreign terrorists post the
greater threat to domestic security, though slightly more 45% are most
concerned about foreign terrorists, while 42% believe terrorists originating
and training the United States pose the greatest threat.

The majority (59%) believe the more effective way to deal with the potential
treat to national security posed by millions of illegal immigrants living
within the United States is to crack down on illegal immigration by
toughening the enforcement of existing laws, deporting illegal immigrants
and prosecuting the employers who illegally employ workers. But nearly a
third (32%) favor creating a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants so
that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society and can live
without fear of prosecution.

More than half (56%) said they don¹t believe the construction of a wall
between the U.S. and Mexico will make the U.S. safer from terrorist threats,
but 41% believe a wall could increase safety. While 40% believe immigration
reform, including the creation of a guest worker program, will make the U.S.
safer from terrorist threats, even more (50%) don¹t think it will help.

Nearly a third (32%) believe the security of the Southern border with Mexico
is the immigration issue that presents the greatest threat to U.S. security,
while 18% are most concerned about the visa waiver program which allows
citizens from allied national to visit the U.S. without applying for a visa
in advance and 13% say the Student Exchange program with Middle Eastern
nations poses the biggest threat.

(4/22/2007)