Poll: Younger generation more supportive of NSA leaker

The generation that grew up in the digital age is the least supportive of the U.S. government collecting personal data online in the interests of national security.

A USA TODAY/Pew Research Center poll shows young people overwhelmingly believe the leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, which exposed secret government surveillance of phone and Internet records, serve the public. Sixty percent of 18- to 29-year-olds polled support the leaks, compared with 36% of those 65 and older.

Members of the younger generations were also more likely to disapprove of the government's collection of data, which Peter Levine, director of Tufts University's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, attributed to a greater distrust of government.

Although young people are used to sharing private data on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, which often share user information with advertisers, they don't view information the NSA gleans from its surveillance programs in the same light.

"I don't think it's right for corporations to do that either, but it's different," Grace Quiroz, a 24-year-old graduate student from Houston, said. "They (the NSA) can go as far as to hear phone conversations."

Young people's concerns don't all stem from an expectation of privacy online, though.

"I think there's an expectation of transparency – not privacy," Levine said. "They're in a world where they don't have much privacy because of commercial data mining. But they do seem to have faith in transparency, so they expect governments and other institutions to be open."

In interviews Tuesday, young people said although they don't approve of the government's online surveillance, they weren't surprised by the revelation.

"I think our generation, we're an interesting generation to begin with," said Lauren Bennett, 27, from New Haven, Conn. "We want things done on our terms. We want to be able to broadcast information we want people to know."

As for Snowden's fate, 18- to 29-year-olds are also the most likely to believe he should be spared from prosecution, with 50% saying the government should not pursue a criminal case against him and 44% saying it should. In contrast, the majority of those polled in every other age group believe he should be brought to trial.

"I wouldn't go as far as to call him a hero," Quiroz said. "He did, I guess, break the law, but should there be repercussions? Maybe. I don't know how I feel about it."

Others are more confident in their view that Snowden should be prosecuted.

"If he wanted the public to know that these programs were in place, he could have made that announcement a different way that would've been less illegal and probably revealed less information about the actual workings of the program," said Michael Sager, 28, a Denver attorney.

Young people don't necessarily draw a line between commercial and government use of their information – they generally disapprove of both, Levine said.

Jonathan Rice, 22, from Bethesda, Md., said he's not supportive of the government or companies using individuals' personal information.

"At the end of the day, it's still people that have your information," Rice said. "Not that I particularly trust the government in a lot of ways, and I usually am skeptical of government intrusion, but at least they usually say what the purpose is, national security or preventing terrorism."

Levine said that although 18- to 29-year-olds might not expect all the information they put online to remain personal, they retain a sense of ownership over it.

"People are used to being traceable and visible. They don't have a sense of privacy, but they don't like powerful people using their information, whether it's Facebook or the government," he said. "I think they're pretty suspicious of shadowy power."