There's an interesting
NPR/Thomson Reuters Health Poll that says Americans consider the security check to be a bigger health concern than flights. In fact
More than 1 in 5 respondents (23 percent) said they would refuse to be examined in one of the whole-body scanners now in many airports. A third of people under 35 said they would decline the scans.
This provides insight to the sluggishness of air travel growth and the recent disconnect between economic growth and air travel growth. Although the vast majority of travelers do use the scanners, the vast majority of those who refuse are simply not traveling. Thus, the TSA's stats showing a miniscule number of opt-outs do not support assertions of acceptance of the scanners.