Last Updated: April 03, 2001
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WASHINGTON — Americans strongly support open government and the concept
of freedom of information, but they are ambivalent about how to balance
openness against privacy concerns, according to a new public-opinion poll
released by the First Amendment Center and the American Society of Newspaper
Editors.
More than 90 percent of respondents said access to public records was
important to them, and six in 10 said public access to government records
was “crucial” to the functioning of good government.
However, when asked about certain issues facing the country today, 61
percent of respondents said they were “very concerned” about “personal
privacy,” and more than half (54 percent) supported strengthening privacy
laws even if it meant losing access to some records held by the government.
“At a time when so many government decisions are driven by data, access
to public information by a free press and an interested public is more
critical than ever,” said Ken Paulson, executive director of the First
Amendment Center. “We have to make the case that greater access to government
information benefits the public and not just the press.”
The poll of 1,005 adult Americans was the first to explore the interaction
between issues of access, government openness, personal privacy and freedom
of information (FOI) laws at the national level. The survey is part of
a two-year project by ASNE to develop new strategies for expanding and
protecting freedom of information at a time when the Internet, privacy
issues and the commercialization of records are changing the landscape
for openness.
“The poll and other research gives us a good sense of what we’re up
against,’’ said Anders Gyllenhaal, FOI committee chair. “It tells us exactly
where we have people’s support and where we have to do more work to build
it.”
The results show that efforts to ensure government openness must bear
in mind a complicated set of public concerns about privacy and the potential
for information abuse. Among the key findings:
Most people support principles of access to government records:
Almost all Americans (91 percent) agreed with the statement, “Even if I
never need to view a public record myself, it is important that I have
the right to do so.’’
People want more access to government records, hearings and meetings:
Nearly half (48 percent) said Americans have “too little” access to government
records and 45 percent said the same about government meetings and hearings.
There is concern about the sale of information: A majority of
respondents (86 percent) said they were “very concerned” when either the
government or private companies sold personal information previously collected
about them.
There is a willingness to reduce journalists’ access if it protects
privacy: More than half (56 percent) of respondents said they would
support new personal privacy laws even if it curtails the ability of journalists
to play their watchdog role.
Internet raises privacy concerns. Nearly four in 10 (38 percent)
said they were “more concerned” about personal privacy since they’ve had
access to the Internet, and only 22 percent said all government records
should be made available online. However, 59 percent said the benefits
of using the Internet are greater than the privacy problems that go along
with using the Internet.
ASNE’s Freedom of Information Committee spent the past year studying
how technology, the Internet and changing public opinions are affecting
access issues. This coming year, the committee will draw up strategies
for strengthening FOI.
About the survey:
The survey was conducted for the First Amendment Center by the Center
for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut. All
interviews were conducted by telephone Nov. 9-19, 2000, at the University
of Connecticut’s telephone center. Interviews were conducted with a national
scientific sample of 1,005 adults 18 years of age or older. Sampling error
is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
New report available
The survey coincides with the release of a new report, “Freedom of Information
in the Digital Age,” produced by the First Amendment Center and the ASNE
Freedom of Information Committee. Copies are available through ASNE, 11690B
Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston, Va.
The First Amendment Center works to preserve and protect First Amendment
freedoms through information and education. The center serves as
a forum for the study and exploration of free expression issues, including
freedom of speech, of the press and of religion, the right to assemble
and to petition the government. The center, with offices at Vanderbilt
University in Nashville, Tenn., and in New York City and Arlington, Va.,
is an independent affiliate of The Freedom Forum and the Newseum, The Freedom
Forum’s interactive museum of news. The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan,
international foundation dedicated to free press, free speech and free
spirit for all people.
ASNE, with nearly 900-members, is the main organization of the directing
editors of daily newspapers in the Americas. The organization, founded
in 1922, is leading efforts to increase diversity in America’s newsrooms,
bolster media credibility and improve high school journalism.
