Tim Vercellotti, assistant professor of political science, presented a research paper on the long-term links between fear of terrorist attacks, symbolic patriotism, and support for restrictions on civil liberties in the war on terror. Vercellotti presented his paper, “Stars and Stripes Forever? Long-Term Linkages Between American Patriotism, Terror, and Civil Liberties,” Jan. 8 at the 2005 annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association in New Orleans, La.
Using Elon University Poll data gathered in October 2001, three weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, September 2002, and September 2003, Vercellotti found that fear of future terrorist attacks prompted adults to express a stronger sense of national identity through acts of patriotism, such as flying the American flag or singing patriotic songs at public events. Those individuals who expressed a greater sense of national identity, in turn, were also more likely to support granting law enforcement authorities greater power to tap phones or search homes as part of the war on terror. The effects of fear on patriotism were still strong up to two years after the 9/11 attacks, but the effects of patriotism on support for greater wiretap and search powers weakened somewhat over time.