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NATIONAL NEWS:
August 13th, 2006 NEWSWEEK POLL: Fifty-Four Percent Oppose Banning All Carry-On Luggage on Planes
NEW YORK (PRNewswire) - Fifty-four percent of Americans say they would oppose a rule prohibiting all carry-on baggage on commercial flights, despite the plot revealed by British authorities that terrorists were going to blow up planes with the products they brought on board in their hand luggage, according to the latest Newsweek Poll. Just 26 percent of those polled say they'd "definitely favor" such a rule.
Fifty-three percent of those polled "definitely favor" reducing the number and size of carry-on baggage passengers can bring on planes; 28 percent would "probably favor" it. Forty-five percent "definitely favor" and 24 percent "probably favor" prohibiting passengers from bringing liquids of any kind onto the plane; 27 percent would oppose that rule, the poll shows.
Forty-five percent of Americans polled say that since 9/11, flying on commercial airlines in the U.S. has become safer; just 10 percent say it's less safe than before and 41 percent say it's about the same. And 52 percent say they'd be willing to support a major increase in the cost of airline tickets to pay for additional security at airports and on planes to prevent terrorism; 40 percent say they wouldn't be willing to do so.
In general, 67 percent of those polled say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States at this time; just 26 percent are satisfied. President Bush's job-approval rating increased to 38 percent in the Newsweek Poll, up three points from the May 11-12, 2006 poll. Just 37 percent of Americans polled approve of the way Bush is handling the economy; 59 percent disapprove. And just 34 percent approve of the way he's handling Iraq; 62 percent disapprove, the poll shows. Bush scores better on his handling of homeland security: 55 percent approve, an 11-point jump since the May poll; 40 percent disapprove.
With Congressional elections three months away, 53 percent of those polled say they'd like to see the Democrats win enough seats to take over Congress; 34 percent say they'd like to see the Republicans keep control.
Thirty-five percent of registered voters say their view of President Bush is very important in determining their vote for U.S. Congress (27 percent say it's somewhat important). When asked about the most important issue in deciding their vote for Congress, 22 percent of registered voters say it's the situation in Iraq; 18 percent say it's the economy; then comes terrorism (15 percent); health care (14 percent); gas and oil prices (12 percent); and immigration (9 percent).
When asked which political party would do a better job handling the war against terrorism at home and abroad, 44 percent of Americans say they trust the Republicans to do a better job; 39 percent say they trust the Democrats. But 45 percent trust the Democrats to do a better job at handling the situation in Iraq; 39 percent trust the Republicans.
Fifty-three percent of those polled trust the Democrats to handle the economy better, compared to 34 percent who trust the Republicans. The Democrats also fare better on health care (56 percent vs. 26 percent); gas and oil prices (52 percent vs. 25 percent) and federal spending and the deficit (53 percent versus 29 percent).
On the topic of Iraq, 58 percent of all those polled say the U.S. is losing ground in efforts to establish security and democracy there; 31 percent say the U.S. is making progress. Just 11 percent say they are very confident that the U.S. will successfully establish a stable democratic form of government in Iraq over the long term. Thirty-two percent are somewhat confident and 24 percent are not too confident; 30 percent are not
confident at all, the poll shows.
The public is split over whether the U.S. did the right thing in taking military action against Iraq: 49 percent say it was the right thing and 47 percent say it wasn't, the poll shows. Sixty-three percent of those polled say, in general, the Iraq war has not made Americans safer from terrorism; 32 percent say it has.
For this Newsweek Poll, Princeton Survey Research Associates International interviewed 1,001 adults aged 18 and older Aug. 10-11, 2006. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points. This poll is part of the Aug. 21-28 double issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday).
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