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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsDomestic PolicyStarted 13yrs agoActive 1wk ago

Should the government be able to monitor phone calls and emails?

In 2015 Parliament passed the Investigatory Powers Bill which consolidated UK laws governing surveillance. The bill requires telecom companies to retain users' "Internet connection records" for up to 12 months and would allow authority for intelligence and security agencies, the police, and the armed forces to hack into computers, networks, and mobile phones.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 1.5m UK voters.

60%
Yes
40%
No
32%
Yes
38%
No
16%
Yes, but only by court order
1%
No, and enact legislation preventing government surveillance of citizen communications
7%
Yes, this is necessary to combat terrorism
5%
Yes, but only for those with criminal backgrounds

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 1.5m UK voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 1.5m UK voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from UK voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @B55JCPY answered…12mos12MO

Yes, but should be strict so only if they have a previous criminal background and are suspected of more criminal activity and they must also have a court order.

 @9PXL2XK answered…2yrs2Y

Yes, but only with undeniable evidence that it would prevent harm to others, and if nothing is found within a given time period all recordings and information gathered should be destroyed and all monitoring discontinued immediately

 @BF33HVWanswered…1wk1W

This is an invasion of privacy so no.

 @BDZYJDKanswered…1wk1W

Yes, only the through court orders rather than blanket legislation or policy.

 @BDYXLYVanswered…2wks2W

No, but private citizens can give them to the government to provide evidence

 @BDXYLZ3answered…2wks2W

Only when it is needed in a court of law

 @BDQQJ5Wanswered…1mo1MO

No, but have exceptions for government organisations

 @BDHDGKYanswered…1mo1MO

Depends on what they are tracking and what you should or should not say. There needs to be clear rules and if mistakes are there how to repent.

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Active 2mos ago

 @ISIDEWITHDiscuss this answer...…6yrs6Y

Should critical race theory be taught in K-12 education?

No

▲  19.8k6 replies4 agree1 disagree

About This Data

Based on 1.5m responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

iSideWith is non-partisan — we don't advocate for any party, candidate, or position. We report what the public tells us.

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Cite This Poll

iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government be able to monitor phone calls and emails?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 24, 2026, from https://uk.isidewith.com/polls/292655967

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