Quinnipiac: "Massive Shift" as Public Now Says War on Terror Has Gone Too Far

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Wednesday July 10, 2013 · 6:08 AM PDT

2013/07/10 · 06:08

How many times have you heard it? Americans are more than happy to submit to constant surveillance in the name of fighting terrorism. They're apathetic about civil liberties issues, which are a preoccupation of the far left/right fringe.

Not true, according to a new poll by Quinnipiac.

In a massive shift in attitudes, voters say 45 - 40 percent the government's anti-terrorism efforts go too far restricting civil liberties, a reversal from a January 10, 2010, survey by the independent Quinnipiac University when voters said 63 - 25 percent that such activities didn't go far enough to adequately protect the country.

Out of all demographic groups, the numbers are most striking among younger voters.

By 58 - 33 percent, voters under the age of 30 believe War on Terror measures have gone too far in restricting civil liberties. And the numbers are similar for 30-45 year olds, 52 - 33 percent. The only age group that thinks War on Terror measures have not gone too far are those 65 and older.

Even more surprising, considering the almost nonstop attacks from both the left and the right in the mainstream press:

American voters say 55 - 34 percent that Edward Snowden is a whistle-blower, rather than a traitor, according to a Quinnipiac University national poll released today.

As Quinnipiac assistant director Peter Brown points out, "The verdict that Snowden is not a traitor goes against almost the unified view of the nation's political establishment."

And on the civil liberties issue:

"The change in public attitudes has been extraordinary, almost across the board and obviously not just related to the revelation of the phone-scanning program, given all that has transpired since 2010...Yet it would be naive to see these numbers as anything but evidence of a rethinking by the public about the tradeoffs between security and freedom."

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Quinnipiac: "Massive Shift" as Public Now Says War on Terror Has Gone Too Far

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