Poll: Majority of Americans Approve of TSA Performance

If you only judged the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) based on what you see and hear on the Internet, television, and other media (like us), you’d think pretty much everyone hated the agency charged with keeping the skies safe. But a new Gallup poll turns that notion upside down.

The pollsters took a random sampling of more than 1,000 adults in all 50 states (plus D.C.) and asked, “Thinking now about the TSA, the government agency that handles security screening at U.S. airports, do you think the TSA is doing an excellent, good, only fair, or poor job?” A majority, 54 percent, responded with either “excellent” or “good.” Only 12 percent said the TSA is doing a “poor” job.

A second question asked, “How effective do you think the TSA’s screening procedures are at preventing acts of terrorism on U.S. airplanes?” Only 13 percent responded either “not too effective” or “not effective at all.” The majority, 76 percent, answered either “very effective” or “somewhat effective.” Nine percent gave the TSA the highest answer of “extremely effective”.

Considering the general vibe around the TSA, we’re pretty shocked to hear that most people think the agency is doing a good job. But maybe we’re just biased from all the reporting we’ve done.

Security: TSA Scanning Travelers (Photo: Ints Vikmanis / Shutterstock.com)