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Americans Split on Wiretapping Controversy
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Adults in the United States are divided over their federal administration's decision to monitor specific conversations, according to a poll by Gallup released by CNN and USA Today. 50 per cent of respondents believe the government was right to wiretap telephone conversations between U.S. citizens and suspected terrorists without getting a court order.
On Dec. 19, U.S. president George W. Bush defended a secret domestic electronic surveillance program that includes the wiretapping of the telephone calls and e-mails of Americans suspected of having terrorist ties. The president's remarks came in response to media reports that, since 2002, Bush has authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to operate this program without any judicial oversight.
Bush said the program is a vital tool in the war on terror and added that "the fact that we're discussing this (.) is helping the enemy." The president also referred to the disclosure of the program's existence to the media a "shameful act."
The Patriot Act—passed by Congress and signed into law by Bush in October 2001—enables the federal government to gather information on suspected terrorists through court-ordered wiretaps and searches. 63 per cent of respondents believe the Patriot Act should either keep all of its provisions or go through some minor changes, while 31 per cent suggest enacting a major overhaul or eliminating the legislation completely.
Polling Data
As you may know, the Bush administration has been wiretapping telephone conversations between U.S. citizens living in the United States and suspected terrorists living in other countries without getting a court order allowing it to do so. Do you think the Bush administration was right or wrong in wiretapping these conversations without obtaining a court order?
Right | 50% |
Wrong | 46% |
No opinion | 4% |
As you may know, shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, a law called the Patriot Act was passed, which makes it easier for the federal government to get information on suspected terrorists through court-ordered wiretaps and searches. Based on what you have heard or read about the Patriot Act, do you think all of its provisions should be kept, that it needs minor changes, that it needs major changes, or that it needs to be eliminated completely?
Keep all provisions | 13% |
Minor changes | 50% |
Major changes | 24% |
Eliminated completely | 7% |
No opinion | 7% |
Source: Gallup / CNN / USA Today
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,003 American adults, conducted from Jan. 6 to Jan. 8, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
