Poll Finds Terror Attacks Eroded Airport Support

The September terrorist attacks slightly eroded support for building an airport at the abandoned El Toro Marine base, according to a Chapman University survey released Monday.

Of the 1,092 people polled at the end of November, 13% said the attacks had influenced their position on El Toro. Of those, a strong majority--70%--said they were “less likely” to back an airport.

In all, 56% said they support Measure W, a ballot measure calling for a large park and other development rather than an airport, said Fred Smoller, director of the Henley Social Sciences Research Laboratory at Chapman University in Orange. The survey questioned Orange County adults about the effects of the Sept. 11 attacks on their lives.

Measure W, if approved by voters in the March 5 primary election, would replace airport zoning at the 4,700-acre former Marine base with zoning for an urban park, university complex and sports fields.

About a quarter of those surveyed said they would oppose a huge park, but a significant portion --18%--said they didn’t know.

Smoller said the attacks’ effect on public opinion could be significant. In a close race on Measure W, he said, “these small percentages could take center stage.”

“It’s one more nail in the coffin of El Toro,” Smoller said. “[The attacks] only made things worse for the people who want an airport. Basically the survey said 70% of the 13% were pushed in one direction, against the airport. “

The poll, however, was not limited to the opinions of Orange County voters. It is unclear how many of those surveyed are registered voters or likely to vote.

That led a pro-airport spokesman to reject the findings on the airport.

“Polling nonvoters is an irrelevant exercise because they will not be able to register their opinions on election day,” said David Ellis of the pro-El Toro Airport Working Group of Orange County.

The survey, sponsored by the Mark Chapin Johnson Foundation, polled 1,092 residents between Nov. 14 and Dec. 1. The poll has a margin of error for the total sample of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

On other issues involving the terrorist attacks, the poll found that 92% of those surveyed approved of President Bush’s job performance in the weeks after Sept. 11.

About 57% of those polled supported monitoring of personal phone calls, e-mails and credit card purchases under the recent federal anti-terrorism legislation. About 37% oppose or strongly oppose the new laws, and 5% don’t know.

In addition, the poll shows that the attacks have not divided the county along racial and ethnic lines. Asked whether residents have become suspicious of people who appear to be of Middle Eastern descent, 73% said no. And 69% said they would not be uncomfortable flying if they saw someone who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent on the plane.