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This is according to a national survey by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY, conducted in the days immediately following Obama's speech and published Monday.
The poll, which surveyed 1,504 adults, found that 53% disapprove of the U.S. government's surveillance of telephone and internet data, while just 40% approve. This is a marked shift from July, when more than 50% said they approved and only 44% said they disapprove.
While approval rates among Democrats are slightly higher than those of Republicans, overall disapproval has increased across party lines.
The fall in support is most steep with respondents identified as African-American and Hispanic.
Almost half of those surveyed said the limits on the government's ability to collect telephone and internet data are inadequate.
Obama's much-vaunted speech on NSA reforms last Friday failed to buck this trend.
Half of those surveyed said they didn't even know about his proposed reforms, and of those who had, 73% said the proposed reforms will make "no difference" to "protections on people's privacy."
Of people aged 18-29, 57% say Snowdens revelations "served public interest" while just 35% said they caused harm. Yet, the overall public showed a near-even split on this question, with a slight majority among those who believe the revelations had a positive effect.
Meanwhile, 56% support government pursuit of a criminal case against Snowden, while 32% oppose it, with support for prosecution lowest among young respondents.
Yet, many charge that the poll shows the importance of Snowden's whistleblowing. "The poll is a very strong vindication of Edward Snowden," writes John Walker for Firedoglake. He believed the American people wouldn't approve if they knew the truth about the NSA and now that they do know they don't approve."
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Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This is according to a national survey by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY, conducted in the days immediately following Obama's speech and published Monday.
The poll, which surveyed 1,504 adults, found that 53% disapprove of the U.S. government's surveillance of telephone and internet data, while just 40% approve. This is a marked shift from July, when more than 50% said they approved and only 44% said they disapprove.
While approval rates among Democrats are slightly higher than those of Republicans, overall disapproval has increased across party lines.
The fall in support is most steep with respondents identified as African-American and Hispanic.
Almost half of those surveyed said the limits on the government's ability to collect telephone and internet data are inadequate.
Obama's much-vaunted speech on NSA reforms last Friday failed to buck this trend.
Half of those surveyed said they didn't even know about his proposed reforms, and of those who had, 73% said the proposed reforms will make "no difference" to "protections on people's privacy."
Of people aged 18-29, 57% say Snowdens revelations "served public interest" while just 35% said they caused harm. Yet, the overall public showed a near-even split on this question, with a slight majority among those who believe the revelations had a positive effect.
Meanwhile, 56% support government pursuit of a criminal case against Snowden, while 32% oppose it, with support for prosecution lowest among young respondents.
Yet, many charge that the poll shows the importance of Snowden's whistleblowing. "The poll is a very strong vindication of Edward Snowden," writes John Walker for Firedoglake. He believed the American people wouldn't approve if they knew the truth about the NSA and now that they do know they don't approve."
_____________________
This is according to a national survey by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY, conducted in the days immediately following Obama's speech and published Monday.
The poll, which surveyed 1,504 adults, found that 53% disapprove of the U.S. government's surveillance of telephone and internet data, while just 40% approve. This is a marked shift from July, when more than 50% said they approved and only 44% said they disapprove.
While approval rates among Democrats are slightly higher than those of Republicans, overall disapproval has increased across party lines.
The fall in support is most steep with respondents identified as African-American and Hispanic.
Almost half of those surveyed said the limits on the government's ability to collect telephone and internet data are inadequate.
Obama's much-vaunted speech on NSA reforms last Friday failed to buck this trend.
Half of those surveyed said they didn't even know about his proposed reforms, and of those who had, 73% said the proposed reforms will make "no difference" to "protections on people's privacy."
Of people aged 18-29, 57% say Snowdens revelations "served public interest" while just 35% said they caused harm. Yet, the overall public showed a near-even split on this question, with a slight majority among those who believe the revelations had a positive effect.
Meanwhile, 56% support government pursuit of a criminal case against Snowden, while 32% oppose it, with support for prosecution lowest among young respondents.
Yet, many charge that the poll shows the importance of Snowden's whistleblowing. "The poll is a very strong vindication of Edward Snowden," writes John Walker for Firedoglake. He believed the American people wouldn't approve if they knew the truth about the NSA and now that they do know they don't approve."
_____________________