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POLITICS

24% Feel Legal System Puts Public Safety Ahead of Individual Rights

In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, Americans remain closely divided when asked about the balance between protecting public safety and preserving individual rights.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 28% of American Adults think the U.S. legal system worries too much about protecting individuals rights, while 24% say it worries too much about public safety.  Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe the balance is about right, while a sizable 20% are not sure.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 1,000 Adults was conducted on April 22-23, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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