[governance] Majority Of Americans Don't Mind Being Spied Upon, Pew Study Finds

Tue Jun 11 08:48:49 EDT 2013

  Majority Of Americans Don't Mind Being Spied Upon, Pew Study Finds

Tyler Durden's picture <http://www.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden>
Submitted by Tyler Durden <http://www.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden> 
on 06/10/2013 17:48 -0400

In what is likely the most disappointing, if not unexpected, news of the 
day, we find that according to a just released Pew Research study 
<http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/10/majority-views-nsa-phone-tracking-as-acceptable-anti-terror-tactic/>, 
a *substantial majority, or 56% of Americans*, "*say the National 
Security Agency's (NSA) program tracking the telephone records of 
millions of Americans is an acceptable way for the government to 
investigate terrorism*." *Only 41% object to having every phone 
conversation intercepted, investigated, analyzed, and recorded for 
posterity*. Sorry Edward Snowden/: *you just threw your life away for 
nothing*/*. *The sheep have been properly and thoroughly conditioned and 
brainwashed, which is why they continue to get precisely the government 
they so rightfully deserve.

<http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-1.png>

More from Pew:

    The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center and The
    Washington Post, conducted June 6-9 among 1,004 adults,*finds no
    indications that last week's revelations of the government's
    collection of phone records and internet data have altered
    fundamental public views about the tradeoff between investigating
    possible terrorism and protecting personal privacy.*

It just gets better:

    <http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-3.png>/Currently
    62% say it is more important for the federal government to
    investigate possible terrorist threats, even if that intrudes on
    personal privacy. Just 34% say it is more important for the
    government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits
    its ability to investigate possible terrorist threats./

    These opinions have changed little since an ABC News/Washington Post
    survey in January
    <http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-2.png>2006.
    Currently, there are only modest partisan differences in these
    opinions: 69% of Democrats say it is more important for the
    government to investigate terrorist threats, even at the expense of
    personal privacy, as do 62% of Republicans and 59% of independents.

    However, while six-in-ten or more in older age groups say it is more
    important to investigate terrorism even if it intrudes on privacy,
    young people are divided: 51% say investigating terrorism is more
    important while 45% say it is more important for the government not
    to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits its ability to
    investigate possible threats.

    The survey finds that while there are apparent differences between
    the NSA surveillance programs under the Bush and Obama
    administrations, overall public reactions to both incidents are
    similar. *Currently, 56% say it is acceptable that the NSA "has been
    getting secret court orders to track telephone calls of millions of
    Americans in an effort to investigate terrorism."*

    In January 2006, a few weeks after initial new reports of the Bush
    administration's surveillance program, 51% said it was acceptable
    for the NSA to investigate "people suspected of involvement with
    terrorism by secretly listening in on telephone calls and reading
    e-mails between some people in the United States and other
    countries, without first getting court approval to do so."

Perhaps least surprising is that once the most vocal objector to "Dubya" 
pervasive surveillance, the Democrats, are now its most ardent 
defenders. And so once again, political party line stupidity trumps 
common sense.

    Republicans and Democrats have had very different views of the two
    operations. Today, only about half of Republicans (52%) say it is
    acceptable for the NSA to obtain court orders to track phone call
    records of millions of Americans to investigate terrorism. In
    January 2006, fully 75% of Republicans said it was acceptable for
    the NSA to investigate suspected terrorists by listing in on phone
    calls and reading emails without court approval.

    <http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2013/06/6-10-13-4.png>

    *Democrats now view the NSA's phone surveillance as acceptable by
    64% to 34%. In January 2006, by a similar margin (61% to 36%),
    Democrats said it was unacceptable for the NSA to scrutinize phone
    calls and emails of suspected terrorists.*

Of course, if the president was Romney, his head would already be on a 
stick. Metaphorically speaking of course.

Finally, the biggest danger to America it appears is not a /*turnkey 
totalitarian tyrant*/, but broad apathy as it turns out only one in four 
follow NSA News "very closely." The other 3 in 4 are far more concerned 
with who gets to fake-wed the fake-bachelorette this season, or who is 
the victor of Dancing with the Stars.

    *Roughly a quarter (27%) of Americans say they are following news
    about the government collecting Verizon phone records very closely.
    This is a relatively modest level of public interest.  Only another
    21% say they are following this fairly closely, while about half say
    they are following not too (17%) or not at all (35%) closely.*

    Interest in reports about the government tracking of e-mail and
    online activities is almost identical: 26% say they are following
    this story very closely, 33% not closely at all.

    Attention to these stories is higher among Republicans and
    Republican-leaning independents: 32% are following reports about the
    government tracking phone records very closely, compared with 24% of
    Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. The partisan gap in
    interest is almost identical when it comes to reports about
    government collecting email and other online information: 30% of
    Republicans and Republican-leaners are following very closely
    compared with 20% of Democrats and Democratic-leaners.

    Overall, those who disagree with the government's data monitoring
    are following the reports somewhat more closely than those who
    support them. Among those who find the government's tracking of
    phone records to be unacceptable, 31% are following the story very
    closely, compared with 21% among those who say it is acceptable.
    Similarly with respect to reports about government monitoring of
    email and online activities, 28% of those who say this should not be
    done are following the news very closely, compared with 23% of those
    who approve of the practice.

Those who wish to be even more depressed can read on here 
<http://www.people-press.org/2013/06/10/majority-views-nsa-phone-tracking-as-acceptable-anti-terror-tactic/>. 

As for Edward Snowden, hopefully this will teach you to throw away your 
life to liberate a bloated and apathetic society that couldn't care less 
if the slaughter-gate was slammed shut behind it, and just wants to have 
its rose-colored blinders on in perpetuity.

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