National security and civil liberties are often referred to as a zero-sum game; to gain more 
national security, you may have to give up more of your civil liberties. Research has shown 
that most people believe that national security is of vital importance, and that security is crucial 
to confidence in a government. This research investigates terrorism’s effect on the relationship 
between national security and civil liberties, as well as the perceptions of the public on this 
topic. Drawing together existing literary work to ask: Do the public prioritise national security 
over their civil liberties when faced with terrorism? In this research terrorism is defined as a 
tactic that includes the use of violence and the spread of fear, in order to achieve political 
goals.
Based on a review of the existing literature on the separate topics of terrorism and 
counterterrorism, national security and civil liberties; an online qualitative survey was 
distributed to the public, in concurrence with qualitative interviews with experts on the topic. 
Analysis of the responses demonstrated confirmation of the hypothesis that most people 
believe that national security is of greater importance than civil liberties.