Six in 10 Americans say anti-terror efforts shouldn’t violate civil liberties — a view that comes on the heels of Congress’ decision to roll back anti-terrorism policies with the USA Freedom Act.
Sixty-five percent said the government should take steps to thwart terrorism but not violate civil liberties, compared to 30 percent who prioritized terrorism over protecting civil liberties, according to a new Gallup poll.
The poll, conducted after the USA Freedom Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama, also shows that Republicans and Democrats hold similar views when it comes to balancing civil liberties with anti-terrorism efforts. Sixty-six percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say civil liberties should be prioritized over anti-terrorism efforts, while 64 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say the same.
In addition, a majority of Americans (55 percent) do not say anti-terrorism efforts by the government violate their civil liberties. However, four in 10 Americans (41 percent) do feel the government is violating their civil liberties — a question asked for the first time in this Gallup poll.
The random telephone-based poll of roughly 1,500 American adults was conducted June 2-7 with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
