Differing Views on Terrorism

Independents called the program unacceptable by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent.

More generally, two in three Americans said it is more important to investigate possible terrorist threats than to protect civil liberties. One-third said the respect for privacy should take precedence.

Republicans overwhelmingly favored aggressive investigation, with more than four in five saying that is their preference, while Democrats were split 51 percent to 47 percent on which should take precedence. Independents favored relatively unfettered pursuit of possible terrorism by nearly 2 to 1.

Democrats and Republicans were at odds over how Bush is striking the balance between counterterrorism and privacy protection.

Two in three Republicans said they worried that concerns about rights would stop the president from being aggressive enough, while three in five Democrats worried that he would compromise rights.

Similarly, Republicans were less likely than Democrats and independents to say that federal agencies are trampling on civil liberties. Even among the 50 percent of Republicans who said they believe such actions were taking place, few said the intrusions are unjustified.

The poll found Americans divided over how the federal government is dealing with protecting the rights of both citizens and suspected terrorists in the post-Sept. 11 environment.

A plurality said they believe the government has struck the right balance in protecting rights. But a sizable percentage, about four in 10 in each case, said the government is not doing enough.

A total of 1,001 randomly selected adults were interviewed Jan. 5 to 8 for this survey. The margin of sampling error for the overall results is plus or minus three percentage points.

Polling director Richard Morin contributed to this report.