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Public support for ID cards dips to 55 per cent

Friday, December 12th, 2008

By Lewis Page | The latest Home Office poll on public attitudes to the planned National ID card indicates that support for the scheme has eroded slightly, with the proportion of those in favour down from 60 to 55 per cent.

The survey, carried out among 2,098 randomly selected Brits from 31 October to 4 November, showed opposition to the Card remaining steady. Seventeen per cent of respondents disagreed strongly with the plans and 9 per cent slightly, up from August by a single percentage point each.

The top reason given for disagreeing with the card stayed the same - that it would interfere with personal freedom. Other common objections were that the scheme was unnecessary, wouldn’t work, and would be a waste of money.

Twenty-three per cent of those disagreeing also said that the government could not be trusted to keep personal data secure, up from 19 per cent in August. Before August’s survey this concern wasn’t cited often enough to figure in the results, reflecting the rash of data-loss scandals suffered this year.

According to the survey report, “there is still confusion and uncertainty, particularly regarding the belief that individuals will be required to carry their identity cards with them at all times”. Some 69 per cent of respondents believed this to be true, but according to the Home Office pollsters “it is in fact false”.

Another interesting remark was made in the report: “There were also a number of people who believed public and private sector organisations will be able to access their information (56%), but again this is a false statement.”

One would have thought that some public-sector organisations - for instance the Immigration and Passport Service itself - would be able to access the information, but apparently not.

The Tories and the NO2ID anti-card group said the survey results showed the government was losing the argument.

“We are seeing the beginning of the end of ID cards,” NO2ID’s Phil Booth told the Telegraph.

The survey results can be read in full here (pdf). ®

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One Response to “Public support for ID cards dips to 55 per cent”

Adrian Tawse
Posted: Dec 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

I think that a large number of those who profess not to object to ID cards actually have no onjection to others having ID cards. When the letters start to arrive “You are required to report to interrogation centre XXX to be finger printed …” will suddenly decide they are not that happy after all.

As to not being obliged to carry an ID card, why is there a clause in the draft “Identity and Citizenship Bill” allowing for people to be arrested if they are unable to produce suitable identity documents. On being challenged Jacqui Smith claimed that the measure is supposed only to apply at points of entry. If so then why does the bill not say so. As currently phrased all will be obliged to carry ID cards at all times, on pain of being arreseted.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 1:42 pm and is filed under Surveillance, Civil Liberties & Human Rights News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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