What polls say about national security versus civil liberties

[Valin]

AEIdeas:

Karlyn Bowman, Heather Sims, Eleanor O'Neil

June 2, 2015

 

On Sunday night, the legal authority for several national security programs expired. While most Americans probably haven’t followed the details of the debate in Congress over reauthorization, they have told pollsters about their views of national security and civil liberties.

 

While Americans value their privacy, they also want to feel safe. The Pew Research Center’s trend on the government’s anti-terrorism policies shows that since the question was first asked in 2004, about half of Americans have generally said that such policies have not gone far enough to adequately protect the country. In January 2015, 49 percent gave that response, while 37 percent said the policies have gone too far in restricting the average person’s civil liberties.

 

 

 

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