New poll finds bipartisan skepticism of spying practices in US 

A new survey found that Democrats and Republicans were skeptical of spying practices used by the United States government. 

The AP-NORC poll asked respondents their opinions on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which authorizes spy agencies to collect foreign communications for intelligence purposes. These purposes can range from stopping spies to listening to the country’s allies and enemies.  

The provision also allows the U.S. to collect communications from its residents that law enforcement or intelligence agencies then can search.

The poll comes as lawmakers will need to determine whether they should extend Section 702 in the coming months. 

Only around 28 percent of respondents said they support officials surveilling phone calls made outside of the U.S. without obtaining warrants, while about 44 percent opposed the practice. Approximately 60 percent of Americans opposed monitoring text messages in the U.S., and 67 percent opposed listening to domestic phone calls.  

Nearly 50 percent of Americans said they believe it is necessary to sacrifice some freedom to prevent terrorism, which is a downtick from 2021, when 54 percent said so.  

Democrats are more likely to say they support sacrificing some rights and freedoms to prevent terrorism than Republicans were. About 55 percent of Democrats said sacrifice was necessary, while 44 percent of Republicans said the same thing.  

The poll surveyed 1,081 adults between March 16-20 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.