Because there's a material difference between the NSA snooping on your metadata, and your local constabulary having video feeds of every corner of your village.

Because there's a material difference between the NSA snooping on your metadata, and your local constabulary having video feeds of every corner of your village. Abuses by the NSA are bigger picture things that mostly aren't seen to affect everyday Americans. Abuses by the local constabulary are much more real to the community, like domestic abuse. Of course, I think a large number of Americans don't have direct exposure to the UK system, and have only seen it misused in popular media, eg Hot Fuzz.