Home -> Law Blog Directory -> International Law Blogs -> Spy Blog

International Law

: Spy Blog

JRRT State of the Nation opinion poll on Privacy and the Database State - the majority of us are unhappy and fearful

Coinciding with the culmination of the Power 2010 Campaign's public vote and consultation on what political reform issues the prospective candidates and political parties should be scrutinised in detail over in forthcoming General Election, (see the previous Spy Blog article Power 2010 Pledge campaign - vote to "Scrap ID cards and roll back the database state" and "Expand the Freedom of Information Act"), the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust has commissioned a Public Opinion Poll from ICM, which supports Spy Blog's worries about the erosion of our Privacy and the creep of the Database State.

It is interesting that our opinions are supported by the majority of people questioned for this representative opinion poll, who are worried and mistrustful of the Government and others who snoop on them routinely and unnecessarily, but that is not something to celebrate.

Over the past 19 years, the JRRT has commissioned regular State of the Nation polls.

The 2010 poll found:

• 53 per cent of those asked thought ID cards a bad or very bad idea, compared with only 33 per cent who opposed them in the 2006 poll.
• The numbers also rose for people worried about the government holding data on them, from 53 per cent to 65 per cent.

[...]

Contrary to what people in the Home Office might like to think, this latest State of the Nation poll shows that the public have now made up their minds about ID cards - and they think they're a bad idea.

"And it's not just ID cards. Across the board, we have found people are becoming increasingly hostile towards any government initiative that involves collecting, storing and sharing their personal information.

Concerns about civil liberties, alongside the government's disastrous record in looking after people's data, have contributed to a clear hardening of attitudes against the database state.

"It's no surprise therefore that a demand to scrap ID cards and roll back the database state is one of the most popular issues being voted on at www.power2010.org.uk/vote - and look set to be a central part of our major nationwide campaign at the next election

'People are worried by the power of the state. They want more say in the decisions that affect them, their families and their communities. And they want a stronger Parliament that can hold government to account.

The specific questions asked, and the summary results of the poll are available below, and, eventually, on the JRRT and Power 2010 websites:

Full post as published by Spy Blog on February 20, 2010 (boomark / email).