Americans are divided over whether President Obama's response to the foiled bombing of a Detroit-bound jetliner on Christmas Day went far enough, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, amid broad support for the controversial practice of ethnic profiling in airline security. By 3-1, those polled favor the idea of subjecting airline passengers to more intensive security checks if they fit a profile of terrorists based on age, ethnicity and gender.
A previous USA TODAY poll, released Monday, found even stronger support for the use of full-body scanners at airports even if they compromise passenger privacy.
The findings could fuel an already heated debate about whether profiling is appropriate or effective. "It's just a fact of life that it is a very effective way of at least deciding who we should secondarily screen," says Rich Roth, a security consultant who works with airports.
Michael German of the American Civil Liberties Union says moving toward profiling would be "sending yourself on a fool's errand" because studies show past terrorists defied such labels — and would-be terrorists would simply circumvent whatever profile law enforcement created. "It's actually counterproductive," German says, increasing anti-American sentiment among the targeted groups.
Two-thirds of Americans say they followed closely Obama's announcement last week about addressing security shortcomings exposed by the failed attack. Agencies didn't revoke the visa of the suspect or prevent him from boarding the jet despite a series of red flags.
Among those paying at least some attention, 42% say Obama's measures didn't go far enough; 38% call them "about right" and 4% say they go too far.
There was no significant increase in the percentage of people expressing concern that they or their families might be victims of terrorism. "Despite the high level of focus politically by the Obama administration and from Republicans, the American public doesn't seem too fazed by the December bombing attempt," says Frank Newport, Gallup's editor in chief.
In the poll, 49% approve of Obama's handling of terrorism; 46% disapprove. The president's rating on health care has skidded to a record-low 37%-58%. On the economy, his rating is 40%-56%
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