Most Back Extending the Patriot Act, But Concerns about Intrusions Grow
Against a backdrop of heightened public concern about government intrusions, six in 10 Americans favor extending the Patriot Act, but majorities oppose expanding it by adding new FBI powers to issue subpoenas and access U.S. mail.
Fifty-nine percent in an ABC News/Washington Post poll favor continuing the additional investigative authority in terrorism investigations that was granted to the FBI starting in 2001. George W. Bush urged such an extension of the Patriot Act today.
But there are some compunctions behind that support: Just half the public now says the United States government is doing enough to protect the rights of Americans citizens as it conducts the war on terrorism, down from 61 to 74 percent in polls in 2002 and 2003. That's not unexpected; most Americans in the past have accepted possible privacy intrusions at times of national crisis - but not on an unlimited or permanent basis. As the immediacy of the sense of crisis wanes, interest in privacy rights can reassert itself.
Higher concern about privacy relates to opposition to two expansions of the Patriot Act approved Tuesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sixty-eight percent oppose allowing the FBI to demand records without first getting a judge or prosecutor's approval, and 54 percent oppose requiring the Postal Service to let FBI agents copy information from the outside of envelopes in the mail.
Another concern about rights involves treatment of prisoners at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Sixty percent of Americans express confidence that the United States is adequately protecting the rights of those prisoners - but many fewer, just 23 percent, are "very" confident about it. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., this week suggested closing Guantanamo, and Bush yesterday did not rule it out, saying the administration is exploring alternatives.
GROUPS - Extending the Patriot Act gets broad support from Republicans and a narrow majority of independents, but it's opposed by just over half of Democrats. While six in 10 Republicans want the bill expanded to allow the FBI to copy the outside of envelopes sent through U.S. mail, six in 10 Democrats and independents oppose the move.
Majorities regardless of party affiliation oppose letting the FBI demand records without prior judicial approval.
Support: Dem Rep Ind
Extending Patriot Act 43% 80 54
Expanding record searches 17 42 32
Copying outside of US Mail 36 60 37
There are similar ideological divisions on extending and expanding the Patriot Act, with conservatives most likely to support continuing and augmenting the law.
Concerns about government intrusions are strongly related to views on extending the Patriot Act or expanding its terms. Among the 50 percent who think the government is doing enough now to protect privacy rights, 76 percent favor extending the act. But among the other half, who think rights are not being protected adequately, support for extending the law drops to 42 percent. These people also are much less apt to support expanding FBI authority with new provisions in the law.
METHODOLOGY - This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone June 2-5, 2005, among a random national sample of 1,002 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.
Analysis by Gary Langer.
ABC News polls can be found at ABCNEWS.com at http://abcnews.com/pollvault.html.
Full results follow (*= less than 0.5 percent).
26. As it conducts the war on terrorism, do you think the United States government is or is not doing enough to protect the rights of American citizens?
Doing too No
Yes No much (vol.) opin. 6/5/05 50 46 1 2 9/7/03 69 28 * 3 12/15/02 61 35 * 3 9/8/02 74 24 * 1 6/16/02 65 30 2 3
27. How confident are you that the United States is adequately protecting the rights of prisoners in the U.S. campaign against terrorism, such as those being held in the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - very confident, somewhat confident, not too confident or not confident at all?
--------Confident-------- -------Not confident------ No
NET Very Somewhat NET Not too At all opin. 6/5/05 60 23 38 37 20 17 3
28. As you may know, starting in 2001 the FBI was given additional authority in areas like surveillance, wiretaps and obtaining records in terrorism investigations. Supporters said this was necessary to fight terrorism. Opponents said it went too far in compromising privacy rights. Do you think this additional FBI authority should or should not be continued?
Yes, should No, should not No opinion 6/5/05 59 39 2
Q29a. (HALF SAMPLE) Would you support or oppose further expanding the FBI's authority in these investigations by allowing it to demand records without first getting a judge or prosecutor's approval?
Support Oppose No opinion 6/5/05 31 68 1
29b. (HALF SAMPLE) Would you support or oppose further expanding the FBI's authority in these investigations by requiring the Postal Service to let FBI agents copy information from the outside of envelopes in the mail?
Support Oppose No opinion 6/5/05 44 54 2
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