Considered effective? How policy evaluations and threat perceptions affect support for surveillance in the context of terrorism

Abstract

Surveillance policies aimed at combating terrorism and improving public security can also lead to constraints on civil liberties. In view of this trade-off between the potential benefits and risks of surveillance, it is particularly important to study how effectiveness considerations shape public support for surveillance. We argue that effectiveness perceptions enhance policy support, but that the manner in which citizens view policy effectiveness depends on their perceptions of threats related to terrorism and to violations of civil liberties. Using data from a factorial survey experiment in Germany, we show that policy effectiveness is the most relevant predictor of citizens' support for different surveillance measures. Moreover, we find evidence that depending on the scope of surveillance, respondents perceiving threats to their liberty rely much less heavily on policy effectiveness as a criterion for evaluating policies, compared to those whose threat perception is low. Related Articles: Awan, Imran. 2012.“‘I Am a Muslim Not an Extremist’: How the Prevent Strategy Has Constructed a ‘Suspect’ Community.” Politics & Policy 40(6): 1158–85. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2012.00397.x. Doan, Alesha E., and Corinne Schwarz. 2020. “Father Knows Best: ‘Protecting’ Women through State Surveillance and Social Control in Anti-Abortion Policy.” Politics & Policy 48(1): 6–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12337. Jenkins-Smith, Hank C., and Kerry G. Herron. 2009. “Rock and a Hard Place: Public Willingness to Trade Civil Rights and Liberties for Greater Security.” Politics & Policy 37(5): 1095–129. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2009.00215.x/abstract.