Democrats and Republicans are nearly in agreement over the Apple vs. FBI faceoff

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 22 February 2016

Even bipartisanship doesn't break down Americans' majority stance that Apple should unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone to assist the FBI investigation into the Dec. 2 terrorist attack that left 14 dead. A survey by Pew Research Center out Monday reveals that a nearly equal number of Democrats (55 percent) and Republicans (56 percent) say that Apple should comply with the FBI's request for its assistance. While independents are bit more divided, with 45 percent saying Apple should unlock the phone and 42 percent saying it shouldn't, the consensus across all three parties still rests largely on the side of the Justice Department.

Overall, 51 percent of Americans say that Apple should unlock the iPhone, while only 38 percent say it should not. Eleven percent responded that they did not know or did not have an opinion. Apple has thus far refused the FBI's request because of concerns about privacy, a reason the Justice Department has slammed as a "marketing strategy."

The survey, conducted Feb. 18-21 among 1,002 American adults, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points for the total sample. Among Republican respondents it's 6.9 percentage points, among Democrats it's 6.7 percentage points, and among independents it's 6.3 percentage points.