Internet Users´ Beliefs about Government Surveillance The Role of Social Awareness and Internet Literacy

This study focuses on exploring Internet literacy and social awareness as antecedents to Internet users´ attitudes towards government surveillance in the Internet environment. Previously developed instruments for Internet literacy, social awareness, perceived need for government surveillance, and government intrusion concerns have been employed in the study. The relationships are measured and explored through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by linear regression models. Three of the four hypothesized relationships were found to be statistically significant - social awareness positively and Internet literacy negatively related to the perceived need for government surveillance, and Internet literacy positively related to the government intrusion concerns. The contribution of this research is in the attempt to explore surveillance attitudes in the post-9/11 American society. The study presents empirically tested relationships which are important for developing well-balanced policies of security protection and civil liberties.