Sunshine Week Survey

Sunshine Week Survey Finds Public Concerned About Secrecy;
Access to Govt. Info Cited as 'Crucial" by Nearly Seven in Ten

"A new survey conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs on behalf of Sunshine Week shows that seven out of 10 Americans are concerned about government secrecy, and more than half think there's not enough access to government records.

Undertaken in conjunction with Sunshine Week, March 13-19, a nationwide, multi-media initiative to spark public dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information, the survey repeated several questions asked in a 2000 poll, providing a benchmark in public attitudes on these issues.

The response on the secrecy question was virtually unchanged from the earlier survey, suggesting that Americans remain troubled by government secrecy even in the face of their heightened national security concerns following 9/11.

In the new survey, 35 per cent said they were "very concerned" about government secrecy; the same percentage said they were "somewhat concerned." In the 2000 poll, 38 percent of respondents said they were "very concerned," and 34 percent were "somewhat concerned."

Significantly, more people (68 percent) in the new survey said they felt public access to government records is "crucial to the functioning of good government." In the 2000 poll, 60 percent answered similarly."

Please go read the rest. If you aren't familiar with Sunshine Week, you really should check out, not just the rest of this article, but the entire website.