Snowden should be tried, poll finds
But Americans split on U.S. surveillance programs he exposed
WASHINGTON A majority of Americans say the person responsible for leaking top-secret documents about U.S. surveillance of phone and Internet records should be criminally prosecuted, a new USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll finds, even as views are closely divided about the wisdom of the programs themselves.
The poll, taken Wednesday through Sunday, shows cross-currents toward the unauthorized disclosures by Edward Snowden, a former contractor for the National Security Agency, of sweeping surveillance programs that collect information not only from foreigners but also from Americans not suspected of any wrongdoing.
By 54%-38%, those surveyed say he should be prosecuted. Most Americans, 53%41%, say the programs have helped prevent terrorist attacks, a point pressed by officials.
Even so, there is a split on the most fundamental question: By 48%47%, Americans are divided over whether they approve or disapprove of the programs as part of the effort to fight terrorism. By 49%-44%, they say the release of classified information serves rather than harms the public interest.
The sometimes-conflicting mix of views underscore the complications of public opinion on the issue. “The struggle to find the balance between civil liberties and security is one of the toughest struggles Americans face because we hold both of those principles dearly,” says Michael Dimmock, director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
By now, almost everybody is aware of the issue. In the USA TODAY/Pew Research Center Poll, 51% say they have heard a lot about it; 35% say they have heard a little. A 54% majority of Americans assume the government probably has collected data about their own communication — and most aren’t happy about it. Nearly two-thirds, 63%, say they would feel their personal privacy had been violated if that happened.
In a polarized world, there is no partisan difference on some of the questions. Republicans and Democrats hold nearly identical views on whether the leaks serve the public interest — 49% of Republicans and 50% of Democrats say they do — and on whether the government should prosecute the leaker. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans and Democrats endorse that idea.
There is, however, a generation gap. Sixty percent of those 18 to 29 years old say the leaks serve the public interest. Just 36% of those 65 and older agree.
In an online chat Monday hosted by The Guardian, which first published the leaks, Snowden denied that he had shared secret intelligence with the Chinese government or taken steps against U.S. interests. In an interview on PBS’ Charlie Rose show, President Obama defended surveillance as a necessary trade-off. “I don’t think anybody says we’re no longer free because we have checkpoints at airports,” he said.