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.
A majority of Americans consistently say that it is more important for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats even if that intrudes on personal privacy, though the proportion giving that response has declined over time. In January 2015, 63 percent gave that response, while about a third (32 percent) said it is more important for the federal government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits its ability to investigate possible terrorist threats. On balance, Americans remain supportive of the government’s national security programs, but they are also cautious about extending them too far into individuals’ private lives.
Read expert analysis on the National Security Agency by AEI scholars.
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