Debit or Cash?

Anyone going through the checkout lines at stores has observed that more people are paying with cash compared to the situation two years ago, when "charge it" was the mantra. Further, more people are also using debit cards now. There is an article on NPR.com about the use of debit cards and the assumption that these cards have the same consumer safety protection as those of the credit cards.
It is such a challenge to protect one's hard earned money..