Who Screens the Screeners? American Opinions on the TSA

NEW YORK, N.Y. – April 24 , 2014 – They have access to our documentation and belongings – albeit briefly. They both embody and carry out the safeguards put in place to protect travelers from the threats among us. They are the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its most visible set of employees, the agents responsible for security screenings at the nation’s commercial airports. But what criteria do Americans think TSA screening agents should meet? And do they make air travel safer? Only half of U.S. adults believe so, with 50% indicating that TSA security screening procedures make air travel safer and 48% believing the screenings are an effective deterrent to hijacking.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll of 2,234 adults surveyed online between March 12 and 17, 2014.

Those more likely to have been on the business end of a TSA screening within the past year are more likely to see it as both making air travel safer (46% among those who took no airline trips in the past year vs. 55% among those who took 1-5 and 57% among those who took over 5) and serving as an effective deterrent to hijacking (45% vs. 53% and 60%, respectively).

Screening the screeners

When it comes to who are acceptable candidates to become TSA agents, Americans appear flexible on qualifications but mindful of past misdeeds. Majorities feel it would be acceptable for someone who didn’t attend college (81%) or who has no previous law enforcement experience (63%) to become a TSA agent. On the other hand, majorities feel someone who was disciplined for misconduct in a previous job (76%), or who has been convicted of driving under the influence (72%) or of a non-violent crime (68%) would not be an acceptable candidate.

• Frequent flyers are more comfortable with someone who has been convicted of a non-violent crime in such a position (32% among those who took no airline trips in the past year vs. 29% among those who took 1-5 and 45% among those who took over 5).

Checking out the pre-check

When asked about their familiarity with the TSA’s new pre-check program, wherein travelers can go through a faster security screening (with shoes on and laptops tucked safely away in their bags, no less) if they pay an application fee and meet a series of applicant criteria, six in ten Americans (59%) indicate having at least heard of it, while over a third (36%) indicate being at least somewhat familiar with the program (including the 2% who say they’re already either participants or applicants).

• As one might expect, those who fly more are both more familiar with the program and more likely to be in the system already. Frequent flyers are more likely to indicate both that they’re very familiar with the program (4% among those who took no airline trips in the past year vs. 15% among those who took 1-5 vs. 29% among those who took over 5) and that they’re already either a participant or an applicant (1% and 2% vs. 13%, respectively)

Strong majorities of Americans believe requirements for pre-check applicants should include:

• Passing a criminal background check (76%)
• Submitting to a fingerprint scan (73%)
• Holding U.S. citizenship (70%)
• An analysis of past travel habits (56%)
• Passing a drug test (37%)
• A check of family and social connections (35%)

When asked what expedited airport screening might be worth to them (in the form of a one-time application fee), those who have traveled by airline in the past year indicate a willingness to pay roughly $50, on average. Among those who have taken over five trips in the past year that figure goes up to about $77. However, only two in ten air travelers (19%) and three in ten more frequent flyers (29%) would pay $85 or more; as it happens $85 is what the TSA charges currently.

But regardless of what they know of it or would pay for it – what do Americans think of it? It turns out that U.S. adults have mixed feelings about this system, with things they like about it but some concerns as well.

On the one hand, a strong majority of Americans believe that separating out pre-screened passengers into a different line will make the screening process quicker for everyone (79%), while only three in ten believe the qualifications for the program infringe on applicants’ privacy (29%).

But on the other hand, two-thirds are concerned that lessening security procedures for some passengers through the TSA’s pre-check program will result in missing potential threats (68%) and over half don’t think it’s fair to treat passengers differently from one another (56%).

• It’s worth noting that these two concerns are less pronounced among air travelers – particularly frequent ones:
  • I am concerned that lessening security procedures for some passengers through the TSA’s pre-check program will result in missing potential threats (71% among those who took no airline trips in the past year vs. 65% among those who took 1-5 and 54% among those taking over 5).
  • I don’t think it’s fair to treat passengers differently from one another (60% vs. 50% and 40%, respectively).

Additionally, nearly nine in ten adults (89%) said they would not expect to be allowed onto the plane if they showed up for a flight without their ID, when in fact the TSA can accommodate those showing up sans identification – though they do advise building in extra time for such circumstances and highly recommend traveling with ID for expedited check-in.

To view the full findings, or to see other recent Harris Polls, please visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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TABLE 1

AIRPLANE TRIPS IN PAST YEAR

Approximately how many trips, if any, have you taken as a passenger on a commercial airplane in the last 12 months? Please consider connecting flights to be part of a single trip, but please count outgoing and returning flights separately.

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100 percent due to rounding.

TABLE 2

TSA SCREENING IMPACT ON AIR TRAVEL SAFETY

by Airline Trips in Past Year

Now we would like to ask you some questions about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose agents are responsible for the security of the traveling public in the United States. TSA agents’ most visible role is in security screening procedures at commercial airports. How does security screening performed by TSA agents make you feel about air travel? I feel it makes air travelÉ

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 3

TSA SCREENING EFFECTIVENESS IN DETERRING HIJACKING

by Airline Trips in Past Year

Which of the following best describes how effective or ineffective you think having TSA agents performing security screenings for commercial flights is as a deterrent to hijacking? Having TSA agents performing security screenings is É

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 4a

ACCEPTABLE/UNACCEPTABLE FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE TO BECOME TSA AGENTS

Summary Table

How acceptable, if at all, do you think it would be for the following people to become TSA agents?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 4b

ACCEPTABLE FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE TO BECOME TSA AGENTS

Acceptable Summary by Airline Trips in Past Year, Generation & Gender

How acceptable, if at all, do you think it would be for the following people to become TSA agents?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 4c

UNACCEPTABLE FOR SPECIFIC PEOPLE TO BECOME TSA AGENTS

Unacceptable Summary by Airline Trips in Past Year, Generation & Gender

How acceptable, if at all, do you think it would be for the following people to become TSA agents?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 5

TSA PRE-CHECK FAMILIARITY

by Airline Trips in Past Year

The TSA recently introduced a new pre-check program wherein travelers can go through a faster security screening (e.g., leave shoes on, leave laptop and bag of 3-oz liquids in carry-on) if they pay an application fee and meet a series of applicant criteria. Were you aware of this?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 6

SHOULD BE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PRECHECK PROGRAM

by Airline Trips in Past Year, Generation & Gender

Which of the following, if any, should be requirements to qualify for the precheck program? Please select all that apply.

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 7

AMOUNT WOULD PAY FOR EXPEDITED SCREENING

by Airline Trips in Past Year, Generation & Gender

How much would you pay (in the form of a one-time application fee) in order to have expedited screening at the airport, including not having to take off your shoes and not having to remove items from your bag?

Base: U.S. adults who have traveled on a commercial airline in the past year

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 8a

Agree/Disagree with Air Travel Statements

Summary Table

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

TABLE 8b

Agree with Air Travel Statements

Agree Summary by Airline Trips in Past Year, Generation & Gender

How strongly do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Base: U.S. adults

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between March 12 and 17, 2014 among 2,234 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words margin of error as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The Harris Poll^¨ #40, April 24, 2014

By Larry Shannon-Missal, Harris Poll Research Manager

About Nielsen & The Harris Poll

On February 3, 2014, Nielsen acquired Harris Interactive and The Harris Poll. Nielsen Holdings N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global information and measurement company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence and mobile measurement. Nielsen has a presence in approximately 100 countries, with headquarters in New York, USA and Diemen, the Netherlands. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.