Racial and ethnic differences in public opinion toward civil liberties and ethnic bias in the war on terror

The methods that the U.S. has used to fight terrorism have left citizens with differing views on their effectiveness as well as their consequences; particularly the issues of unfair ethnic bias and the protection of civil liberties. Because the war on terror primarily targets some Muslim and Arab countries and citizens, it is important to understand how American racial and ethnic minorities perceive the consequences of American counterterrorism methods. An August 2006 CBS News/New York Times national survey measured public support for civil liberties and likelihood of unfair ethnic bias---binary regression analysis was then used to determine differences in opinion among minorities. Perception of fear of terrorism was measured, as the literature suggested that support for civil liberties decreased as such perception increased---political identity and views, household type, and socioeconomic status were controlled. Using the political-reality and group-position theses, it was expected that racial and ethnic minorities would have greater support for civil liberties and be more likely to believe in the likelihood of unfair ethnic bias than whites. The hypothesis was proven regarding civil liberties but was unproven for likelihood of unfair ethnic bias---non-Christian religious status had a much greater effect on this variable than any other element.