Privacy-Panel-Jan-10-27-2014-1.zip

The "Privacy Panel": This is the first survey in a multi-year panel study, meaning the same group of respondents was re-interviewed over time. This allows researchers to track how individual opinions and behaviors change in response to new events, laws, and technologies.

Immediate Historical Context: The field dates are crucial. The survey began just six months after Edward Snowden's first leaks were published (June 2013). Public debate about NSA surveillance, data collection, and digital privacy was at an absolute peak, making this data incredibly timely and significant.

Key Topics in this Wave (#1):

Public awareness of and concerns about government surveillance programs.

Attitudes toward trade-offs between security and privacy.

Levels of confidence in the privacy and security of common communication channels (e.g., email, texting, social media).

Steps users take to protect their privacy and secure their data online.

Perceptions of responsibility: who should be tasked with protecting privacy—the government, companies, or individuals?

Significance: This dataset is foundational for anyone studying the modern privacy landscape. It provides a pre- and post-Snowden benchmark and has been used to track the evolution of public opinion on issues that remain highly relevant today, such as encryption, data breaches, and regulation of tech companies.

Access: The full topline questionnaire with results, the main report, and subsequent waves of the panel are available on the Pew Research Center's website. Searching for "Privacy Panel Survey January 2014" will lead directly to the findings. The report is typically categorized under "Internet & Technology."