This data, collected by the University of California, Irvine, corrects the false consensus on the public view on torture. Our survey shows that nearly two-thirds of Americans over- estimated the level of national support for torture. But more important, these misperceptions are not evenly distributed across the population. The more strongly an individual sup- ports torture, the larger the gap in his or her perception. Those who believe that torture is “often” justified—a mere 15% of the public—think that more than a third of the public agrees with them. The 30% who say that torture can “sometimes” be jus- tified believe that 62% of Americans do as well, and think that another 8% “often” approve of torture.
In comparison with their 2001-2009 findings, this survey reveals that in the subsequent three years support for torture has risen on average by 2.7%, whilst opposition to the practice has dropped by 3.8%. Showing that support has already began with the more support we have the more of a chance we have. Support is the key to stop the violation of our human right.
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