February 9, 2024
Most adults, especially those who frequently fly, believe air travel is generally safe. But, only about 2 in 10 have a great deal of confidence that airplanes are being properly maintained or are safe from structural faults.
About 4 in 10 have a great deal of confidence that both pilots and air traffic controllers can maintain the safety of air travel. Only about 20% are confident in the work federal agencies, commercial airlines, or airplane manufacturers do to uphold air safety.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted after recent manufacturing problems with Boeing planes.
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to be confident that pilots and air traffic controllers are well-trained, and that air travel is safe from terrorist attacks.
Forty-five percent have a great deal of confidence in pilots to maintain air safety. And 40% have a high level of confidence in air traffic controllers. The trust the public has in the individuals is stronger than for industry or government. Again, Democrats are more likely than Republicans to have confidence in government agencies in this area, as well.
Even though many have qualms about the maintenance of airplanes and their structural defaults, most adults consider airplanes along with automobiles and trains to be safe forms of transportation in the United States. They are less positive about bicycles or local public transportation.
Twenty-four percent travel by plane at least a few times a year and 18% travel on planes about once a year. About a third (34%) fly less frequently and a quarter (24%) never travel by plane. Frequent fliers tend to be more likely to regard air travel as safe than those who don’t travel by plane frequently. They are also more confident that airplanes are being properly maintained and are safe from structural faults, that air traffic controllers and pilots are well-trained, and that air travel is safe from terrorism.
The nationwide poll was conducted January 25-29, 2024 using the AmeriSpeak® Panel, the probability-based panel of NORC at the University of Chicago. Online and telephone interviews using landlines and cell phones were conducted with 1,152 adults. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.0 percentage points.
- Suggested Citation: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. (February 2024). “Despite recent safety incidents, most adults think air travel is generally safe” https://apnorc.org/projects/despite-recent-safety-incidents-most-adults-think-air-travel-is-generally-safe/
