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Transportation	Air travel \| Road/Off-road See also: Terrorism (transportation security)

Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

Air Travel

Ipsos/McClatchy Poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Jan. 7-11, 2010. N=1,336 adults nationwide. MoE ą 2.7.
.
"How safe do you believe air travel is in the United States today: very safe, somewhat safe, not too safe, or not at all safe?"
.
		Very Safe	Somewhat Safe	Not Too Safe	Not at All Safe	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/7-11/10	27	49	17	7	1

CBS News Poll. Jan. 6-10, 2010. N=1,216 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"How do you feel about flying in an airplane? Would you tell me whether you're afraid of it, whether it bothers you slightly, or whether you're not at all afraid?" 2002 & earlier: "How do you feel about flying in an airplane? Would you tell me whether you're afraid of it, whether it bothers you slightly, or whether you're not at all afraid of it?"
.
		Afraid of It	Bothers Slightly	Not at All Afraid	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/6-10/10	16	26	55	3
	1/5-6/02	20	31	48	1
	11/01	25	31	42	2
	10/01	21	31	46	2

Gallup Poll. Dec. 6-9, 2007. N=1,027 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
.
"How many air trips, if any, have you taken on a commercial airliner in the past twelve months -- counting each round trip as one trip?"
.
		None	1-2	3-4	5 or More
		%	%	%	%
	12/6-9/07	57	23	12	8
.
	"Overall, would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the job the nation's major airlines are doing?" N=473 adults who have flown on an airplane at least once in the past year, MoE ą 5
.
		Satisfied	Dissatisfied	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/6-9/07	72	24	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Aug. 21-22, 2007. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"Finally, some people would like Congress to pass an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights that would require airlines to provide passengers with things like fresh water and clean bathrooms, as well as possibly the right to exit the airplane when there are flight delays. Other people oppose this idea because they say it would make flying more expensive and result in more canceled flights. What about you? Do you support or oppose passing an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights?"
.
		Support	Oppose	Depends (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/21-22/07	57	24	9	10

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 4-5, 2002. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"Do you approve or disapprove of airline pilots being armed?"
		%
	Approve	68
	Disapprove	22
	Not sure	10
			.
"Do you approve or disapprove of flight attendants being armed with so-called 'stun guns'?"
		%
	Approve	70
	Disapprove	22
	Not sure	8
			.
"Do you approve or disapprove of using racial profiling to screen Arab male airline passengers?"
		%
	Approve	54
	Disapprove	34
	Not sure	12

CBS News Poll. Feb. 24-26, 2002. N=861 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Do you think the federal government has done enough to improve airport security since September 11th, or not?"
		2/02	1/02
		%	%
	Done enough	48	41
	Not done enough	45	54
	Don't know	7	5
				.
"Do you think the airlines have done enough to improve airport security since September 11th, or not?"
		2/02	1/02
		%	%
	Done enough	38	35
	Not done enough	54	59
	Don't know	8	6

"To improve security, the airlines have made a number of changes in the past few months, such as not giving passengers metal knives with their meals, or requiring people to remain in their seats during the flight. Do you think the airlines have gone too far with these measures, have the airlines done the right thing, or have the airlines still not done enough?"
		%
	Gone too far	10
	Done the right thing	55
	Not done enough	31
	Don't know	4

"Do you think in general that airport security personnel who check passengers in the airport are going too far in checking passengers, or are they generally doing the right thing, or are airport security personnel not doing enough to check passengers?"
		%
	Going too far	4
	Doing the right thing	54
	Not doing enough	36
	Don't know	6

"Would you be willing or not willing to experience longer and more intrusive bag checks and passenger searches when flying in order to improve airport and airline security?"
		%
	Willing	89
	Not willing	8
	Don't know	3

CBS News Poll. Jan. 5-6, 2002. N=1,060 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Whatever your personal feelings about flying, how would you rate the overall safety record of commercial airline travel: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?"
.
		1/02	11/01	7/96
		%	%	%
	Excellent	19	16	26
	Good	42	40	40
	Only fair	24	25	22
	Poor	10	16	10
	Don't know	5	3	3
					.
"Do you think the federal government has done enough to improve airport security since September 11th, or not? ... Do you think the airlines have done enough to improve airport security since September 11th, or not?"
.
		Federal Gov't	Airlines
		%	%
	Done enough	41	35
	Not done enough	54	59
	Don't know	5	6
					.
"In December, an Arab-American Secret Service agent who was carrying a gun was prevented from boarding an airplane. The airline officials said that the forms he had for carrying the gun on the plane were not filled out properly and that they kept him off the flight in the interest of keeping the passengers safe. The Secret Service agent says he was kept off the plane because he is Arab-American and that he asked the airline to call and verify that he was a Secret Service agent. Do you think the airline did the right thing in keeping the man off the flight, or did the airline go too far?"
.
		%
	Airline did right thing	74
	Airline went too far	18
	Depends (vol.)	3
	Don't know	5

ABC News.com Poll. Oct. 3-7, 2001. N=1,024 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Are you personally worried about traveling by commercial airplane because of the risk of terrorism, or do you think the risk is not that great?"
		10/3-7/01	9/13/01
		%	%
	Personally worried	42	59
	Think risk not that great	56	40
	No opinion	2	1
				.
"Which do you feel is safer: flying in a commercial airplane or driving in a car?"
		10/3-7/01	11/99
		%	%
	Flying	44	58
	Driving	48	39
	No opinion	8	3

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. Feb. 4-6, 2000. N=1,018 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"How confident do you feel about the safety standards of the major commercial airlines, in general: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, not at all confident?"
		2/00	11/99
		%	%
	Very confident	33	29
	Somewhat confident	39	51
	Not too confident	15	15
	Not at all confident	11	5
	No opinion	2	-
				.
"Compared to a few years ago, how do you feel about the safety of flying on airlines today? Do you have much more confidence, somewhat more confidence, somewhat less confidence, much less confidence?"
		2/00	11/99
		%	%
	Much more	12	8
	Somewhat more	35	33
	Somewhat less	32	34
	Much less	17	20
	No opinion	4	5
				.
"As you may know, an Alaska Airlines jet crashed off the California coast earlier this week. As a result of this crash, are you less likely to fly on major commercial airlines, or not?"
		%
	Less likely	24
	Not less likely	74
	No opinion	2

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Nov. 17-18, 1999. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"What do you think is most likely to be the cause of the EgyptAir Flight 990 crash: a bomb or other terrorism, mechanical failure, pilot error, or intentional acts on the part of the pilot?"
		%
	Intentional acts of pilot	34
	Pilot error	11
	Mechanical failure	10
	A bomb or other terrorism	9
	Other (vol.)	4
	Not sure	32

ABC News.com Poll. Nov. 3-7, 1999. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Whatever your personal feelings about flying, how would you rate the overall safety record of commercial airline travel: excellent, good, only fair, or poor?"
		%
	Excellent	26
	Good	49
	Only fair	16
	Poor	6
	No opinion	4
				.
"And what about your personal feelings? Would you say you're afraid of flying on an airplane, it bothers you slightly, or you're not at all afraid of it?"
		%
	Afraid	14
	Bothered	29
	Not at all afraid	56
	No opinion	1
				.
"As you may have heard, an EgyptAir jet crashed off the East Coast last week. This follows the crashes of a Swissair jet a year ago and a TWA jet three years ago. Do you think these incidents mean that air travel is getting less safe, or do you think they do not reflect on the overall safety of air travel?"
			%
	Getting less safe		29
	Do not reflect on overall safety		65
	No opinion		6

Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Nov. 3-4, 1999. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"What do you think is most likely to be the cause of the EgyptAir Flight 990 crash: a bomb or other terrorism, mechanical failure, or pilot error?"
		%
	Mechanical failure	65
	A bomb or other terrorism	11
	Pilot error	5
	Other (vol.)	2
	Not sure	17
				.
"Which do you think is a greater threat to airline safety: terrorist attacks or poor maintenance?"
		%
	Poor maintenance	78
	Terrorist attacks	15
	Not sure	7
				.
"Do you think U.S.-owned airlines are safer than foreign airlines, or not?"
			%
	U.S. safer		58
	U.S. not safer		14
	Safer than some/Worse than others (vol.)		9
	Not sure		19

Road / Off-road

ABC News Poll. Jan. 28-31, 2010. N=1,012 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"Thinking about the car maker Toyota, is your overall opinion of Toyota very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable or very unfavorable?"
						.
		Very Favorable	Mostly Favorable	Mostly Unfavorable	Very Unfavorable	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	1/28-31/10	26	37	14	14	9
						.
"You might have heard that Toyota has recalled some cars and has stopped manufacturing and selling most of its cars in North America because of a problem with the gas pedals getting stuck. Do you think this indicates a broader problem with the quality of Toyota cars, or do you think it's an isolated incident that does not indicate a broader quality problem?"
						.
		Broader Problem	Isolated Incident	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/28-31/10	21	72	6
						.
"Does this situation make you more likely or less likely to consider buying a new Toyota in the future, or will it have no effect on whether you consider buying a new Toyota?"
						.
		More Likely	Less Likely	No Effect	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/28-31/10	5	22	72	2
						.
"Do you think the federal government should investigate to see whether or not Toyota acted quickly enough after learning of problems with these cars, or do you think that kind of investigation is not necessary?"
						.
		Should Investigate	Not Necessary	Unsure
		%	%	%
	1/28-31/10	39	56	5

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Oct. 5-8, 2009. N=829 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think it should be legal or illegal to use a hand-held cellular telephone while driving a car?"
						.
		Legal	Illegal	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/5-8/09	17	80	3
						.
"How about a hands-free cellular telephone, which you don't have to pick up or hold to use? Do you think it should be legal or illegal to use a hands-free cellular telephone while driving a car?"
						.
		Legal	Illegal	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/5-8/09	70	27	2
						.
"Do you think using a HANDS-FREE cell phone while driving is more safe than using a HAND-HELD cell phone, or is it less safe, or is using a HANDS-FREE cell phone just the same as using a HAND-HELD cell phone?"
						.
		More Safe	Less Safe	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/5-8/09	66	3	28	1
						.
"Do you think sending a text message while driving, either on a cell phone or other electronic device, should be legal or illegal?"
						.
		Legal	Illegal	Unsure
		%	%	%
	10/5-8/09	1	97	2
						.
	If illegal: "Should texting while driving be punished more severely than drunk driving, less severely than drunk driving, or about the same as drunk driving?"
						.
		More Severely	Less Severely	About the Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	10/5-8/09	2	43	50	2

Marist College Marist Poll. Oct. 7, 8 & 12, 2009. N=1,026 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (for all adults).
						.
"How often do you text while driving . . . ?"
						.
		Often	Sometimes	Seldom	Never
		%	%	%	%
	ALL	4	5	9	82
	18-29 years old	9	12	18	60
	30-44	9	7	12	72
	45-59	-	3	5	91
	60 & older	1	1	2	96
						.
"Do you think there should be a law to ban texting while driving?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	90	9	1
	18-29 years old	88	12	-
	30-44	88	8	4
	45-59	92	7	1
	60 & older	92	7	1

USA Today/Gallup Poll. Feb. 20-22, 2009. N=1,013 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Apart from the current financial difficulties the U.S. auto companies are facing, in general, when making a decision about getting a new car, would you only consider cars from an American company, consider cars by both American and foreign companies, or only consider cars from foreign companies?" Options rotated
						.
		Only American	Both	Only Foreign	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	2/20-22/09	37	50	12	1
	12/12-14/08	30	52	15	3

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Jan. 11-15, 2009. N=1,112 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Generally speaking, do you think U.S. automakers or foreign automakers produce better-quality cars?"
						.
		U.S.	Foreign	Both (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	1/11-15/09	29	55	8	8

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Dec. 9-10, 2008. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How would you rate the overall quality of cars and trucks made by U.S. auto companies? Are they better, worse or the same as foreign cars?"

		Better	Worse	Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	12/9-10/08	20	40	36	5

CBS News Poll. Aug. 8-12, 2007. N=1,214 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Overall, how would you rate the condition of the system of roads and bridges in the area where you live? Is it very good, fairly good, fairly bad, or very bad?"
						.
		Very Good	Fairly Good	Fairly Bad	Very Bad	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/8-12/07	13	57	18	10	2
						.
"Should federal spending on rebuilding and maintaining roads and bridges be increased, decreased, or kept the same?"
						.
		Increased	Decreased	Kept the Same	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	8/8-12/07	64	2	30	4
						.
"Would you be willing to pay more in taxes to improve roads, bridges, and public structures?"
						.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/8-12/07	56	40	4

Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Aug. 6-8, 2007. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
						.
"Thinking about the condition of various public works in your area today, in general, how would you rate the condition of each of the following: excellent, good, fair, poor, or very poor? How about [see below]?"
						.
		Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor	Very Poor
		%	%	%	%	%
	Water and sewer systems
	8/6-8/07	13	48	23	11	2
						.
	The electrical grid
	8/6-8/07	12	48	25	10	2
						.
	Public school buildings
	8/6-8/07	14	43	27	12	2
						.
	Bridges
	8/6-8/07	6	45	28	13	4
						.
	Roads
	8/6-8/07	7	34	32	19	8
						.
	Mass transportation systems like trains and busses
	8/6-8/07	6	31	25	22	7
						.
"How confident are you in the condition of the bridges in your state: very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident, or not at all confident?"
						.
		Very Confident	Somewhat Confident	Not Too Confident	Not at All Confident	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	29	47	17	5	2
						.
"Do you think the recent highway bridge collapse in Minneapolis was most likely an isolated incident, or most likely an indication of a broader problem with the condition of this country's highways and bridges?"
						.
		Isolated Incident	Broader Problem	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	42	55	3

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Aug. 6-8, 2007. N=1,029 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How worried are you that a bridge that you drive across regularly might collapse: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not worried at all?"
						.
		Very Worried	Somewhat Worried	Not Too Worried	Not Worried At All
		%	%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	12	19	32	37
						.
"And how worried are you that a bridge somewhere else in the U.S. might collapse: very worried, somewhat worried, not too worried, or not worried at all?"
						.
		Very Worried	Somewhat Worried	Not Too Worried	Not Worried At All	Unsure
		%	%	%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	17	35	25	22	1
						.
"As you may know, the federal program to inspect and repair bridges is funded mostly by the federal tax on gasoline. Would you favor or oppose an increase in the federal gasoline tax in order to pay for increased inspection and repair of bridges across the country?"
						.
		Favor	Oppose	Unsure
		%	%	%
	8/6-8/07	33	65	1

Gallup Poll. July 18-20, 2003. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3 (total sample).
					.
"Just your opinion, who are the more dangerous drivers: teenagers or people over 65 years of age?" Form A (N=498)
					.
		%
	Teenagers	71
	People over 65	25
	No opinion	4
					.
"Just your opinion, who are the more dangerous drivers: teenagers or people over 75 years of age?" Form B (N=505)
					.
		%
	Teenagers	63
	People over 75	33
	No opinion	4
					.
"Would you favor or oppose a law in your state that required those older than 65 to renew their drivers' license and take an in-person eyesight and driving test every few years?" Form A (N=498)
					.
		Favor	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	7/03	89	11	-
					.
"Would you favor or oppose a law in your state that required those older than 75 to renew their drivers' license and take an in-person eyesight and driving test every few years?" Form B (N=505)
					.
		Favor	Oppose	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	7/03	91	8	1
					.
"Is there an age at which you think a person should no longer be permitted to drive?" If "Yes": "What age?"
					.
		%
	Under 70 years of age	7
	71-75	6
	76-80	11
	81-85	6
	86-90	2
	No age/None	64
	No opinion	4

Associated Press Poll. June 20-24, 2003. N=1,001 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"Should federal regulations be changed to require sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, to meet the same fuel economy standards as regular passenger cars, or should federal regulations stay unchanged, allowing SUVs to get lower gas mileage than other cars?"
			%	.
	Should meet same standards		54
	Allow SUVs to get lower mileage		33
	Require SUVs to get higher mileage (vol.)		2
	Don't know		11
				.
"Do you think sport utility vehicles are safer or more dangerous for their occupants than other types of cars?"
		%
	Safer	42
	More dangerous	35
	No difference (vol.)	12
	Don't know	11
				.
"On a related topic, do you think sport utility vehicles pose a greater danger to other motorists than other passenger cars, or do you think SUVs pose no greater danger to others on the road?"
		%
	Pose a greater danger	45
	Pose no greater danger	41
	No difference (vol.)	6
	Don't know	8

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Aug. 3-5, 2001. Nationwide.
				.
Form A (N=517, MoE ą 5): "Thinking for a moment about trucks that are owned and operated by Mexican companies: If Mexican trucks are driven on U.S. highways, would you say these trucks would be safer, less safe, or about as safe as trucks owned and operated by U.S. companies?" Form B (N=500, MoE ą 5): "Thinking about trucks that are owned and operated by Canadian companies: If Canadian trucks are driven on U.S. highways, would you say these trucks would be safer, less safe, or about as safe as trucks owned and operated by U.S. companies?"
				.
		Mexican Trucks	Canadian Trucks
		%	%
	Safer	1	7
	Less safe	58	18
	About as safe	31	57
	No opinion	10	18

Gallup/CNN/USA Today Poll. May 21-23, 1999. N=925 adults nationwide.
			.
"Finally, we have some questions about driving. First: Do you drive a car, truck or automobile of any kind, or are you not a driver?"
			.
		%
	Yes, drive	92
	No, not a driver	8
			.
"Which, if any, of the following types of traffic jams causes you the most trouble: [rotate] those caused by highway construction, those caused by normal rush-hour traffic, or those caused by accidents?"
			.
		%
	Rush-hour traffic	41
	Highway construction	38
	Accidents	17
	None (vol.)	2
	Doesn't apply (vol.)	1
	No opinion	1
			.
"When you get stuck driving in a traffic jam caused by highway construction, how often do you become angry because you feel it could have been avoided by better planning: [rotate] every time, usually, rarely, or never?"
			.
		%
	Every time	10
	Usually	24
	Rarely	43
	Never	21
	Doesn't apply (vol.)	1
	No opinion	1
			.
"Suppose you are traveling on a trip on an interstate highway in an unfamiliar area. If you found yourself in a traffic backup several miles long caused by construction, which of the following would you be most likely to do: [rotate] take the nearest exit and try to find a way around the traffic; stay on the interstate, but feel aggravated as you move slowly through the construction site; or stay on the interstate and not feel aggravated?"
			.
		%
	Try to find a way around	40
	Stay and feel aggravated	30
	Stay and not feel aggravated	29
	No opinion	1

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