SHOCK: Poll shows Americans think TSA is highly effective Forget what you've heard in the news. According to a new Gallup poll, the majority of Americans think the Transportation Security Administration, which handles security screening at US airports, is doing just fine, "despite recent negative press." The survey, which was published on Wednesday, asked a sample of 1,014 randomly …
From the depths of my memory, I seem to remember Sir Humphrey explaining to an innocent Jim Hacker that any poll can deliver the required results depending on how you ask the questions.
Same thing here, perchance?
As a non-USA-ian I'd have to say that ever time I've flown in the US, I've been selected for a 'random' detailed search. I wish my chances at Gold Lotto were so 'random'. Maybe they profile balding 50+ Anglo-Saxons as a high risk?
Bomb icon as that's what this security theatre is all about.
It was about National Service for the young, and something like this.
Contrast:
Do you think there is insufficient discipline amongst the young?
Do you think the army provides structure and discipline?
Do you think more discipline would be a Good Thing?
Do you agree with National Service?
with
Do you think there is a lot of violence amongst the young?
Do you think they should have access to guns and knives?
Do you agree with National Service?
etc etc
Frankly I think that all of these security agencies were opened up at best with no real forethought and at worst with malicious intent after 9/11 and have far too much power and far too little oversight.
But the only way out of it is if the government actually served the public, rather than themselves so we're screwed.
AC since I can hear the black helicopters coming already.
Also, what for?
Next question: Is this given --now that it's published it'll be trotted out as hard fact for at least the next five years-- something for the few people who value real freedom important enough to, say, go out and educate people?
If we can spread the word on many things from leaked corporate greed or governmental duplicity proving documents to atrocities around the world, then surely we can package the message that growing up in security theatre captivity is not, should not be the norm?
Can't just evangelize though. Have to wrap the thing in a nice and spiffy package or the goldfish generation will gloss right over it.
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A sample size of 1000 would be perfectly satisfactory to get some sensible results IFF the samples are chosen at random. The smaller the sample size, the more important it is that it is a truly random selection of the population. That is probably not the case in this survey, as others have pointed out, but if you can ensure perfect sample selection you'd be surprised how reliable it can be.
For instance, if you found that 50% of a truly random 1k sample liked apple pie, then you would have about 95% confidence that the true value in a population of 250k was within 47-53% and only a 1% chance that the real population's liking for apple pie was outside the 46-54% range. However, asking customers of the Pie Factory, or the residents of the Olympic Village, might render one's results MUCH less reliable.
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"Unless the participants fly at least several times a year such a poll is just useless."
Agreed - experience is necessary for having an informed opinion.
The problem is, a survey of frequent fliers would likely return the opposite result to that wanted by whomever commissioned this survey. Just look at all the ranting on Flyertalk, for example.
Here we go:
1) For counter and travel agent passengers, first ask the routine security questions.
2) Then ask questions about how well the TSA is doing its job.
3) Use the same process when the tickets are booked online.
3) Run the survey for six months to get a decent sample, have the process monitored and results collated and collected by a reasonably neutral third party like a passenger interest group or IATA.
4) Publish those results.
The chance to vent might even make some people look forward to flying again
This sound too much like including the passenger in the security loop as a sentient person. Where does this "Keep'em scared" come in, if the targeted sheep can ask embarrassing questions in the survey and otherwise question the so-called security and procedures?
This can never work, 'cause it is a step back and counter productive from the eventual total control by our over Overlords.
That's easy. Just remind the passengers that they will be answering questions about how amazingly great the TSA is _before_ they pass through security, and that the person asking the questions will holding their boarding pass while listening to their answers.
I'm sure that that will either raise the TSA's approval rating a few more points or lead to a few unhappy "terrorists" being caught and interrogated by The Nation's Finest.
The TSA is doing a good job... of what exactly? Apparently it's not preventing terrorist attacks, because the majority of people in the survey don't think they're very effective at that. More people should read Daniel Kahneman's excellent book "Thinking Fast and Slow", which tells us that people mentally substitute an easy question when asked a hard one and answer that instead. In this case I think people are answering the question of whether the TSA are doing the best job they can given their mandate. I would probably answer that question the same way. But I also think the TSA are ineffective at stopping terrorist attacks, and their operations come at a truly enormous cost in both money and inconvenience to travelers. The billions of dollars squandered on ineffective security in a vain attempt to prevent a handful of terrorist attacks could be spent saving millions of children from starvation, preventing wars, developing medical breakthroughs, promoting justice and human rights internationally etc.. Everything comes at a cost, and one must always compare the value you are getting when answering questions about whether it's the right thing to do.
One has to wonder how many of those polled have actually flown from US airports recently. When I passed through the terrahertz scanner in Sacramento last month, they still had to grope me because of "back sweat" that skewed the images... It was a hot day (100F+), so you'd think they could deal with that. :-(
I am an American, who hasn't travelled internationally since 1995. I think Churchill had us right when he said Americans will do the right thing only when every other alternative has been tried. Our current system of making foreigners uncomfortable, angry and humiliated is not the right thing. We could do better, but when we do something in a hurry the lobbyists buy up all the money for their paymasters. The results are not pretty.
Need I remind every media outlet citing this poll of the long long list of other popularly approved, yet unjust and disgraceful abuses of power in U.S. history: the Alien and Sedition Acts, legal slavery, Jim Crow laws, the internment of Japanese-Americans, male-only suffrage, and I could go on.
The point is, my rights are not up for a popular vote. A majority or even a super-majority do not get to vote on whether I deserve to be sexually assaulted by a thug in a blue shirt because I bought an airline ticket. Barely-trained TSA screeners are manhandling perfectly innocent people in ways that U.S. police officers would never be permitted to do without suspicion, probable cause or a warrant. My body is mine, and keep your hands off my sex organs, TSA perverts! I don't care how many people voted for you to put your hands down my pants: what's wrong is wrong.
The government isn't freaking out and over reacting.
The media terrorized the public for ratings.
The public freaked out and wanted drastic action.
The politicians pander to the public's panic by creating security theater.
If we want a better government we need better informed voters.
Oooh. Now there's a thought, "informed voters." But, let's think about how. TV? Nah. Sound bite city, no substance, biased as aitch, ee, double hokey sticks. News papers? Well, once upon a time, perhaps, but Jefferson had become a skeptic regarding news papers by 1813, so...no. Internet? snort, cough, choke. It sounds like a good idea, but just how might you go about achieving such a lofty goal?
It's the product of an educational industry that rewards conformance, repetition and obedience while suppressing rational discussion and independent thought that has created drones who do not question the rhetorical fear mongering that comes from government and media. Unfortunately even with an entire overhaul of the educational system it would take a few generations before any positive results were realized and it is unlikely that the current group of adult voters would have the stomach to change a system they feel comfortable with. Hell, they don't even cover basic personal economics so we wind up with lots of folks who can't even balance a check book much less make knowledgeable decisions about mortgages or retirement plans.
What is needed is a higher bar for the privilege of participating in the Republic. Maybe having most of one's income come from W2 (withholding from pay for work performed, as opposed to 1099-D for Dividend income) and actually paying tax into the system. Some adjustments for those who contribute positively to the Republic without a W2.
Evidently, in the USA those who lack the capacity and wherewithal to obtain a photo id from their local government offices are the most important voters in an election.
We used to have a wonderfully dodgy state premier Mr. Bjelke-Petersen who called this sort of thing 'feeding the chickens'. Looks like the chooks are full and replete. If the TSA really wanted to make Americans safer, it should leave the airports and disarm the lot of 'em. But apparently it's OK for Americans to massacre each other by the bushel, as long as no goldurn furriners try to muscle in.
Disarming the Britons hasn't rediced "gun violence" in Great Britain, so why would that work in the US? The numbers in Britain have been trending gradually upward since about 1968. England never did have a murder rate with thinking about, even back when the first laws to control fire arms ownership were passed. The chief goal was to keep anarchists from arming themselves and then shooting the odd parliamentarian. And as a point of fact, the US is not really near the top of the heap when it comes to shooting folks anyway.
Depends what you mean by "reduced". What is has done is keep guns out of the hands of most of the nutters who when the girl they fancy tells them to stop stalking them goes postal at the local school or movie theatre. It eliminated all those tragic accidents where Daddy left the gun on the kitchen table and little Johnny grabbed it and shot his sister... the sort of "gun crime" that is common in the USA. We don't have that in the UK. Most of the gun crime we have appears to be caused by armed police shooting people (eg being guilty of being a Brazilian Electrician on a tube train!)
As was said before: "Security Theater". No more, no less. For a trip from the SF bay area to the LA area (300 miles as the crow flies), it almost takes as much time to fly (arrive hours before, one hour plane ride, fetch rental car at destination, etc...) as it takes to just drive down there (5.5 hours using a "Top Gear" style lead foot: "How hard can it be?"). Given the costs of gasoline (petrol) at even $4/gal (probably going up after the refinery fire!), it is really much cheaper as well.
So, the choice is pretty obvious: Air travel is a pain in the butt. And by the way, TSA is just idiots (read minimum wage dolts at $8/hr) who just annoy you with SILLY policies: Take off your shoes, remove your belt, empty the change from your pockets, etc...)
You know how it is. A TSA officer disguised as a pollster for Gallup asks, "do you think the TSA is doing a good job? Yes or no." You say, "it's doing a great job [of p****** me off - under your breath, since you don't wnat to land a on a no-fly list]." But, since they don't allow sarc tags, your tongue-in-cheek answer is counted in the plus column.
And was impressed with the diligence of our Australian equivalent by the fact that my nail clippers were removed (forgot to take them out hand luggage) ... but was even more impressed when I noticed that the 1st class passengers had been given steak knives with which to eat their Beef Wellington.
Yeah, they were removing nail clippers at Dublin Airport too- and then in duty free there were magazines with free manicure sets (sissors and nail clippers) for sale.
I once asked one of the securitrons how did they ensure that the (expensive) bottled water for sale in the duty free area had been deweaponised?
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