According to Senior Vice-President Doug Anderson “As we approach the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Canadians are feeling that air travel is safer now than it was before the attacks. At one time, the attacks may have had the potential to create a long-term paralyzing fear, instead, the data suggest that measures taken to address safety or perhaps the heightened awareness of the security processes in place, have improved the sense of comfort in air travel.”

• Almost four in ten Canadians feel air travel is safer than it was before the September 11th attacks. Nationally, 37% express this view, while a majority (52%) feels it is just as safe as it was prior to the attacks. Just 7% feel flying is less safe than it was ten years ago.
• Residents of Quebec and Alberta are most likely to say air travel is safer than it was before the attacks, while across the political spectrum, Conservatives and New Democrats are most likely to concur on the matter.
• Men, younger Canadians and those with higher household incomes are also more likely than their counterparts to feel air travel is safer.
• 2 in 3 are traveling by air at the same rate they were prior to the September 11th attacks. Overall, 65% indicate they are traveling by air about as much as they were ten years ago. Just over one in ten (13%) say they are traveling by air more, while roughly the same number (12%) are traveling by air less than they were before the attacks.
• One in five believes the terrorists who participated in the September 11th attacks came to the US through Canada. Nationally, 19% express this view, while 47% say the terrorists did not enter the US through Canada. The remaining 34% did not offer an opinion on the matter. This represents a shift since July 2009 when 29% thought the terrorists who participated in the attacks entered the US through Canada.
• Conservatives, residents east of Ontario and those over the age of 35 are most likely to say the terrorists entered the US through Canada.
• A majority of those in Alberta and BC, along with a majority of men, Liberal and NDP voters, and those with household incomes exceeding $100k/yr believe the terrorists did not enter the US through Canada.
   

Each week, Harris/Decima interviews just over 1000 Canadians through teleVox, the company’s national telephone omnibus survey. The most recent data were gathered between August 18 and August 22, 2011. A sample of the same size has a margin of error of 3.1%, 19 times out of 20.