Cupertino, Calif. – September 15, 2026 -- Seventy-nine percent of U.S. adults do not believe physical security in the country's buildings has significantly improved since the September 11 attacks, according to a new YouGov survey commissioned by Alcatraz AI. The poll, described as the first national survey measuring public trust in badge- and credential-based access systems 25 years after 9/11, found 76% of respondents believe office buildings never received security investment comparable to aviation.
Four high-profile breaches this summer exposed gaps in badge-based access control
The survey follows a string of incidents: an intruder tailgated students into UCLA dormitories in May and is accused of sexually assaulting four women; a man followed a student through card- and badge-secured doors at Harvard's Lowell House and attempted a kidnapping before being fought off; two individuals hid inside the Empire State Building after hours in June, cut through two locks, and livestreamed the breach from the spire to nearly two million followers; and a man tailgated an employee through a badge-secured door at 30 Rockefeller Center before confronting a television anchor. Three of the four incidents involved tailgating, which security researchers identify as the leading breach method for secured spaces because badge systems verify a credential, not the identity of the person carrying it.
Survey shows bipartisan support for mandatory real-time breach detection
Sixty-four percent of respondents said buildings with large occupant numbers should be legally required to detect and report security breaches in real time, with 69% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans in agreement. Seventy-three percent called upgrading physical security technology at least somewhat urgent, and 53% said they feel less safe in public than 25 years ago.
Most Americans overestimate current badge-system capabilities
Forty-three percent of respondents incorrectly believe standard badge and key-card systems already alert security in real time when an anomaly such as tailgating occurs; most such systems only log that a valid credential was used. Sixty percent said they do not trust the organizations responsible for their security to keep systems current, while 58% were already aware that key cards and badges can be duplicated or shared. Sixty-eight percent believe a tailgater at their location would not be caught quickly, with only 32% expecting immediate or near-immediate detection.
Alcatraz AI executives call three-decade-old badge technology obsolete
"Keycard and badge technology is 30 years old. It is completely unintelligent,