Americans Want Terrorists Caught [ABC/WaPo Poll]

Powerline ^ | Jan. 10, 2006 | John Hinderaker

[conservativecorner]

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released today has interesting information about Americans' attitudes toward civil liberties and fighting terrorism.

The poll, first of all, was demographically balanced, with 31% Democrats and 30% Republicans, so the results shouldn't be skewed. The Post's article on the poll makes the results seem more even-handed than they really are. Here are the key data:

6. What do you think is more important right now - (for the federal government to investigate possible terrorist threats, even if that intrudes on personal privacy); or (for the federal government not to intrude on personal privacy, even if that limits its ability to investigate possible terrorist threats)?

Investigate threats: 65% Respect privacy: 32% No opinion: 3%

7. In investigating terrorism, do you think federal agencies are or are not intruding on some Americans' privacy rights?

Are: 64% Are not: 32% No opinion: 4%

8. (IF FEDERAL AGENCIES ARE INTRUDING, Q7) Do you think those intrusions are justified or not justified?

Justified: 49% Not justified: 46% No opinion: 5%

Unfortunately, we have no definition of what constitutes "intruding on some Americans' privacy rights." But, using whatever definition respondents assume, two-thirds of Americans believe that no "unjustified" intrusions are taking place.

These questions and answers strike me as more meaningful than the one that specifically addresses the current NSA "spying" controversy, where the numbers basically follow a partisan breakdown: 51% consider "this wiretapping of telephone calls and e-mails without court approval" acceptable, while 47% call it unacceptable.

One more thing: by a 53% to 27% margin, respondents say that Judge Sam Alito should be confirmed. Interestingly, that is almost exactly the same margin that favored confirmation of John Roberts and Clarence Thomas.

[Puppage]

Americans Want Terrorists Caught

Even while talking on the phone?/sarc

[Man50D]

Americans Want Terrorists Caught

They had to take a poll to figure this out?

[son of caesar]

CORRECTION, THIS CITIZEN WANTS THEM KILLED, DISMEMBERED AND HUNG FOR PUBLIC VIEW. any questions in this poll that i didnt answer, refer to my first sentence in this post.

[expatguy]

Bleh. I want terrorists killed.

An American Expat in Southeast Asia

[Puppage]

Yeah, the AP writes THIS:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060111/ap_on_go_pr_wh/eavesdropping_ap_poll

Gotta love the first line. Geez, idiots.

[Man50D]

There are three things to remember about polls: 1. The question a very small fraction of the population.
2. Polls can target a certain group of people who the pollsters know will respond in a certain way.
3.Questions can be structured in a specific way to illicit a specific response.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

These polls are never balanced. There have been several proven instances where the published numbers did not meet the actual numbers of people polled as ascertained to their political party.

[Wasanother]

Yahoo is recycling the slanted AP/IPSOS poll on it's front news page today.

[satchmodog9]

Slowly

[sportutegrl]

The poll, first of all, was demographically balanced, with 31% Democrats and 30% Republicans, so the results shouldn't be skewed.

This is only true if the population breaks down along these lines. This is like saying that the poll is balanced if we have 30% Dem, 30% Repub and 30% Greens.

[Element187]

Americans Want Terrorists Caught


In other news, a poll released today showing 100% of Americans would like to recieve a million dollars in the mailbox this afternoon.

[jmaroneps37]

rats lose again! take that evil donkey!