It's not, not to much of the general populate. This has been reinforced by decades of science fiction in which fingerprints or handprints get characters access to secure resources. It's also been reinforced by Apple's messaging about the fingerprint reader on recent iPhones: it replaces a pin or password, and so people think of it as a password as well.
From an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
"I presume your handprint will open this door whether you are conscious or not."
Not saying I disagree, but a layperson paying attention to a sci-fi movie could figure this one out on their own. How often does the protagonist circumvent the fingerprint scanner with a) A piece of tape, or b) the hand of the armed guard who was standing right next to the scanner?
You say that as if "secure until I'm dead" is not good enough for 99.999% of people.
What makes you think I care about Henchman #752? His boss is the one who has to suffer the consequences of his stolen fingerprint.
In the case where you're using a fingerprint unlock for your own phone, you are both Henchman #752 and the boss.
Hmmmm, you make a valid point.
But he no longer has to care what his boss thinks.
This is HN, I think it's fair to assume that this isn't news to anyone here.