Poll: 80 percent back tough ID standards

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- There is overwhelming public support for national standards in driver's licenses like those in the Real ID Act, says a survey by U.S. tech companies.

“The American people are willing to support secure systems for identity,” Phil Bond, chief executive officer of the Information Technology Association of America, told United Press International. “They are willing to pay more money and give more of their personal information” to ensure their licenses are secure.

The association commissioned the poll from Public Opinion Strategies, which surveyed 800 adults nationwide Sept. 4-6, with a margin of error of 3.46 percentage points. They published the results Monday.

The poll found that 88 percent agreed that “We need to make driver’s licenses … more secure to improve homeland security and prevent terrorists from getting identification,” and 76 percent strongly agreed.

The 2005 Real ID act mandates that driver's licenses “acceptable for federal purposes” -- like boarding planes or entering U.S. government buildings -- will have to meet national standards by May 2008.

In the survey, more than 80 percent also agreed that to improve security and reduce fraud, tougher rules are necessary for people to prove their identity when applying for a license.

Real ID standards include the checking of so-called feeder documents against federal databases and a rule that applicants must be able to prove they are legally in the United States.

Nearly nine out of 10, 89 percent, said they would be willing to provide additional identification information to state authorities to prove their identity, and 88 percent are willing to pay extra for new, more secure licenses, with 35 percent saying they would pay up to $20 more.

Bond said the public’s willingness to support the tougher standards and higher costs of Real ID compliant licenses should be a signal to legislators.

Congress and the administration “need to address real concerns about (Real ID) being an unfunded mandate,” he said.

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Shaun Waterman, UPI Homeland and National Security Editor