Posted on 06/11/2013 9:56:04 AM PDT by Red Steel
Most voters oppose the U.S. government’s secret collection of the phone records of millions of Americans and think the feds are spying too much on U.S. citizens these days. Just 26% of Likely U.S. Voters favor the government’s secret collecting of these phone records for national security purposes regardless of whether there is any suspicion of wrongdoing. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% are opposed to the practice. Fifteen percent (15%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 6-7, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
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"Pew: Majority Of Americans Support NSA Phone Tracking
by Eyder Peralta June 11, 2013 8:53 AM
We're a little late noting this poll, but it's important so we're backing up a bit: A Pew poll released Monday finds a majority of Americans — 56 percent — think the National Security Agency's tracking of phone records "is an acceptable way for the government to investigate terrorism."
Forty-one percent say it is unacceptable."
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/11/190638738/pew-majority-of-americans-support-nsa-phone-tracking
It’s all how the questions are asked.
When you consider everything that is going on in what has become a de facto police state, I do not believe any poll. Period.
I think the Pew Poll’s EMPHASIS was different. They asked the question about whether people support NSA tracking phone calls to HUNT FOR TERRORISTS.
They DID NOT ASK whether people support Government secretly collecting phone records of ORDINARY CITIZENS.
See the difference in emphasis?
when you mention terrorists, everybody SUPPORTS it. When you simply mention collecting phone records of ordinary Americans, people OPPOSE IT.
“It’s all how the questions are asked.”
Exactly!
Yep...
I’m never sure about Rasmussen. His might be the Dick Morris of polling outfits (without the toe fetish).
...or to whom you are asking the questions.......
Bet if the phrase was: Do you oppose Government's recording of all of your telephone conversations, email, photographs, video, and listening in to your private conversations, watching you secretly via your phone and computer speakers and cameras, then storing that information forever, to be used against you anytime it wishes?
The response would be 99.9% oppose, and consider it an illegal violation of their Constitutional rights!
Some Representatives we have there in Washington looking out for us, huh...
What about this ~ what does the public think about government requiring phone companies to keep call records?
exactly, because most people think... well.. IM not a terrorist! so as long as they are only watching terrorists, I guess I could support that!
But when they are made aware of the fact that the government considers EVERYONE (including THEM) to be a potential terrorist, and is thus watching THEM, the answer is completely different. Because almost no one is ok with the government watching and recording everything THEY are doing.
Over a decade ago, when I answered my phone and participated in surveys, two patterns with Pew polls emerged.
1. They called during normal working hours. I was doing evening consulting and was around during the day. So republicans working during normal working hours would never get a call.
2. Often when they found out that I was a republican. They would say goodbye and hang up.
#1 and #2 were confirmed with other retired republicans, when I asked if this was happening to them.
It might be an “acceptable way for the government to investigate terrorism” but that’s not what they’re doing.
You are almost exactly correct and may well be exactly correct if you meant 45% instead of 35%. 45% of Americans are willing to trade their freedom for Obamaphones any day of the week.
Washington Post = Operation Mockingbird.
Of course they would help the intelligence community advance a cover story or disinformation. And every honest person knows that polls reported in the press are designed to shape opinion, not measure it.
Now, make it "Do you favor government being able to capture all Americans' phone, email and internet usage information, including yours, to help catch terrorists, and store that information indefinitely", it would plummet.
And now make it "Do you favor government being able to capture all Americans' phone, email and internet usage information, including yours, to help catch terrorists, and store that information indefinitely, oh, and by the way, that same government is attempting to label peaceful opposition groups as terrorists", well, you are now below Congress' approval rating. You know, the same Congress allegedly exercising oversight on these programs.
These surveys are made over the PHONE. So they ask you over the phone if you object to the government listening to you over the PHONE. Those with a bit of paranoia are going to answer NO, I DON’T OBJECT master as I bow down in abject submission.
Lol, well said!
Perhaps somehow the NSA couldn’t get to the WaPo poll in time to alter it?
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