According to a May 2023 survey of internet users in the United States, three in four individuals find it very or somewhat acceptable for law enforcement to obtain footage from cameras people install at their residences or the information from cellphone towers to use them in a criminal investigation. Furthermore, the survey found that older generations were more likely to support these actions of law enforcement than younger individuals.
Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group
Characteristic
Total
18-29 years
30-49 years
50-64 years
65 years and older
Obtain footage from cameras people install at their residences, like video doorbells
74%
57%
69%
80%
88%
Use information from cellphone towers to track where someone is
74%
57%
70%
81%
86%
Require third parties to turn over users' private chats, messages or calls
55%
45%
50%
63%
61%
Break the passcode on a user's phone to get access to its contents
U.S. adults; internet users; nationally representative
Method of interview
Online panel
Supplementary notes
The source adds the following information specifying the data: "Percentage of U.S. adults who think it is very or somewhat acceptable for law enforcement to do each of the following during a criminal investigation."
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Pew Research Center. (October 18, 2023). Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/
Pew Research Center. "Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group." Chart. October 18, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/
Pew Research Center. (2023). Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/
Pew Research Center. "Attitudes of Adults in The United States toward Use of Personal Data by Law Enforcement as of May 2023, by Age Group." Statista, Statista Inc., 18 Oct 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/
Pew Research Center, Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/ (last visited December 21, 2024)
Attitudes of adults in the United States toward use of personal data by law enforcement as of May 2023, by age group [Graph], Pew Research Center, October 18, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1424052/data-usage-by-law-enforcement-us-attitudes-by-age/
