Attack on America, Civil Liberties Trade-Offs, and Ethnic Tolerance: Panel Survey

Michigan State University, East Lansing MI

Investigators

Abstract

This study will employ a national survey to explore the implications of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks for civil liberties. Previous NSF support, in the form of a Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER), enabled the researchers to examine some short-term implications of the terrorist attacks on public anxiety, support for civil liberties, political tolerance, patriotism, and perceptions of the root causes of terrorism. With the first-wave data collection nearly complete and the results contributing to our understanding of political tolerance and the support for civil liberties, the researchers will examine the durability of civil liberties concessions over time. They will conduct a second wave of the "Civil Liberties Trade-Offs" survey, consisting of: (1) reinterviews of the initial 1400 first-wave respondents, which included African American and Hispanic over-samples, and (2) a survey of new respondents to assess testing effects.