Republicans get more blame than Democrats for the partial shutdown

After a crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York and a partial government shutdown that left many airport security checkpoints understaffed, this week's Economist / YouGov Poll asked about Americans' views on flying and on the shutdown. Most Americans (77%) say that airline travel in the U.S. has a good or excellent safety record and few (13%) say they are very afraid of flying. Americans are more likely to blame Republicans for the shutdown than to blame Democrats (36% vs. 29%) and more say that Congress should fund the government without funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) than say that ICE funding should be included (47% vs. 32%).

Americans tend to think that air travel in the U.S. is safe. Most Americans would rate the overall safety record of airline travel in the U.S. as good (52%) or excellent (25%). Only about one-quarter would rate it as only fair (18%) or poor (5%).

These figures have changed little since this question was previously asked a year ago. There also was not much change between January 2025 and the February 2025 poll conducted soon after a midair collision near Washington, DC, and a plane crash near Philadelphia.

However, there is evidence of a growing partisan divide in evaluations of airline safety. Almost all Republicans (88%) say that airline safety is good or excellent, but only 72% of Democrats and 71% of Independents say the same. The gap between Democrats' and Republicans' evaluations is new. In polls conducted in January 2025 and February 2025, there was almost no divide between Democrats' and Republicans' evaluations. (Independents have been more likely to rate air travel negatively in both 2025 and 2026.)

Few Americans have a serious fear of flying: 13% say they are very afraid. About half (49%) say they have no fear of flying at all, while 38% say it bothers them slightly. The share who say they have no fear of flying is about the same as it was in January 2025 (50%), and higher than the 44% of Americans who said they were not afraid of flying at all in February 2025.

However, as with evaluations of flight safety, there is a growing partisan divide on this question. Republicans are 11 percentage points more likely than Democrats to say they are not afraid at all of flying (55% vs. 44%). Independents fall in the middle, with 49% saying they have no fear of flying. This is larger than the size of the gap between Republicans and Democrats in January 2025 (53% vs. 48%) and February 2025 (47% vs. 45%).

Outside of concerns about safety, Americans may currently be unenthusiastic about flying due to long security lines after the partial government shutdown left Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents without pay. While both houses of Congress passed bills to fund the TSA over the weekend, the House and Senate were unable to agree on a single bill to send to the president to sign. Americans are slightly more likely to blame Republicans the most for the shutdown than to blame Democrats (36% vs. 29%). About one-quarter (24%) of Americans say the two parties are equally to blame.

Americans who identify with each of the major parties are much more likely to blame the opposing party than to blame their own: 70% of Democrats blame Republicans the most for the shutdown while 66% of Republicans blame Democrats the most. Independents are about twice as likely to blame Republicans as they are to blame Democrats (31% vs. 16%). About one-third (34%) of Independents blame both parties equally.

The bill passed by the Senate last week included funding for the TSA but continued to withhold funding from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In contrast, the House passed a bill that funded both agencies. Americans are more likely to say that Congress should fund the government without funding for ICE than to say that a funding bill should include ICE funding (47% vs. 32%). Separately from the immediate issues raised by the shutdown, 49% of Americans think the government should increase spending on the TSA and only 8% say it should decrease spending; 25% support increasing spending for ICE while 46% support decreasing spending.

President Trump has suggested that a congressional vote on funding the government should include the SAVE Act, a bill that would introduce national voter ID restrictions. Americans are more likely to say that Congress should approve funding without agreeing to the SAVE Act than to say it should agree to the SAVE Act (34% vs. 27%).

When interpreting Americans' views on airline safety and the partial government shutdown, it's worth noting that most Americans don't fly often. About three-quarters (73%) of Americans say they fly once a year or less and only 38% say they've flown in the last year. Still, most Americans have at least some experience with flying: Only 14% say they've never traveled in an airplane.

Image: Getty (Michael M. Santiago / Staff)

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