REAL ID: privacy concerns still a factor, but weakly so
- PDF / 6,115,971 Bytes
- 20 Pages / 439.37 x 666.142 pts Page_size
- 87 Downloads / 194 Views
REAL ID: privacy concerns still a factor, but weakly so Sarah N. Keller 1
& Timothy
J. Wilkinson 2 & A. J. Otjen 3
Received: 20 May 2020 / Accepted: 20 August 2020/ # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Statewide research conducted to design a campaign to inform Montana residents about the REAL ID Act supported previous claims that some Rocky Mountain residents view the law as an invasion of privacy. Although most Montana residents (60%, n = 194) planned to get their REAL IDs within the first year that it became available, 43% (n = 141) of respondents to a survey of registered voters (n = 325) intended to wait more than one year or never obtain it. Individuals who planned to wait were more likely to report concerns about government collection of personal data, and view the law as an invasion of privacy. However, the relationship is weak. As one of several states that opposed adoption of the Real ID Act in, Montana was characterized in academic and lay media as basing its opposition on concerns about violations of privacy. State officials were so concerned that residents would object to the imposition of the new ID, that REAL ID campaign organizers were directed to only raise awareness, and avoid any efforts at persuasion. Focus groups conducted to assess responses to several campaign strategies indicated an approach that described REAL ID as consistent with traditional Montana values of independence, but did not confront privacy concerns. This paper uses quantitative and qualitative data in an attempt to understand how strong such resistance in Montana actually was. Keywords Privacy . Government control . Social marketing . REAL ID . Terrorism .
National resilience
* Timothy J. Wilkinson [email protected] Sarah N. Keller [email protected] A. J. Otjen [email protected] Extended author information available on the last page of the article
Keller S.N. et al.
Introduction Were privacy concerns the true basis for opposition to the REAL ID at the state level? Was the opposition based on authentic popular sentiment, or was anti-REAL ID legislation the result of political grandstanding and social advocacy by coalitions who stood to benefit from the resistance? With the 2021 deadline for federal REAL ID compliance upon us, Montana and 21 other states that initially rejected the law are now under a federal mandate to comply. Out of all the states, Montana was one of the last to implement the REAL ID Act. State politicians strongly resisted and publicly voiced their objections to the Act for several years, creating an uncertain environment concerning how the public would adopt the upcoming changes. In an effort to understand the key drivers of such resistance nationally, Regan and Deering (2009) found that the REAL ID was more likely to be opposed by less populous and less wealthy states, which are more vulnerable to unfunded mandates, and by more conservative states, where there is more likely to be a concern about retaining state control. In addition, “…stat
Data Loading...
