This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone May 11, 2006 among 502 randomly selected adults nationwide. Margin of sampling error for overall results is plus or minus four percentage points. The practical difficulties of doing a survey in a single evening represent other potential sources of error in this or any other overnight poll. Fieldwork by TNS of Horsham, PA.
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45. It's been reported that the National Security Agency has been collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans. It then analyzes calling patterns in an effort to identify possible terrorism suspects, without listening to or recording the conversations. Would you consider this an acceptable or unacceptable way for the federal government to investigate terrorism? Do you feel that way strongly or somewhat?
5/11/06
---------- Acceptable ----------- Unacceptable ------ No Opinion
NET Strongly Somewhat NET Somewhat Strongly
63.......41.........22.......35......11.........24...........2
46. If you found out that the NSA had a record of phone numbers that you yourself have called, would that bother you, or not? IF YES: Would it bother you a lot, or just somewhat?
-----------------------Yes------------
------------NET----A lot------Somewhat-----No-----No opin.
5/11/06......34......24..........10........66........*
47. Do you think it is right or wrong for the news media to have disclosed this secret government program?
------------Right------Wrong-----No opin.
5/11/06......56..........42.........1
Beware of telephone polls taken on a single night with such a small population....
"Collecting the phone call records" sounds rather innocuous, doesn't it. :-(
Cheers,
Scott.