on this matter , but the key for the administration is the 55 percent of independents who approve of how the president responded to the incident on Christmas Day , '' said Keating Holland , CNN 's polling director . The poll also indicates no increase in overall concern about terrorism . `` In October , about a third said they were worried that a family member would become a victim of terrorism , and that number is unchanged in the wake of the attempted attack in December , '' Holland said . `` The public seems to react calmly to individual incidents , possibly because most Americans believe that the government can not prevent every single terrorist plot from occurring . '' Six in 10 said terrorists always will find a way to launch an attack , no matter what the government does , he added -- identical to the number who felt that way during the Bush administration . The poll indicates a majority , 57 percent , think suspect Umar Farouk AbdulMutallab should be tried in military court and not a civilian criminal court . Forty-two percent back handling the case in civilian court . According to
Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- In the wake of the Christmas Day attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner , most Americans remain confident the Obama administration can protect the country from terrorism , according to a new national poll . A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Monday also indicates the vast majority of Americans believe that full-body scanners should be used in airports across the country . Nearly two-thirds of people questioned in the poll said they have a moderate or great deal of confidence in the administration to protect the public from future terrorist attacks , up 2 percentage points from August . Thirty-five percent said they have not much or no confidence , down 1 percentage point from August . Read the full poll results -LRB- PDF -RRB- A number of Republicans have criticized President Obama over his handling of the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam , Netherlands , to Detroit , Michigan . But according to the survey , 57 percent approve of the way Obama has responded , while 39 percent disapprove of how he handled the situation . `` Only a third of Republicans have a positive view of Obama