Robson (2002 cited in Crow and Semmens 2008) stated that the aim of any research generally falls into one of three categories: to describe something, to explore/understand a phenomenon or to explain/measure it . The objective of my research falls within the second of these since it involves exploring the opinions of young adults (16-24 years old) on the use of torture against terrorism suspects. The objective of my research is to provide a better understanding of the subject. the subject of young adults' attitudes towards the use of torture as a strategy to obtain information from terrorists, and whether they think it is justifiable. At this point, it is important to clarify what an attitude is, Oppenheim (2000 cited Crow & Semmens 2008) defines it well, they state that it is a “state of readiness, a tendency to act or to react in a certain way when confronted with an attitude. certain stimuli. Crow and Semmens (2008) state that an attitude has a number of components: beliefs, feelings and behaviors. The main reason I chose to study perceptions of torture is due to the vast gaps in research on this topic. There is very little research on this topic and what is currently published is primarily published in the United States. I believe the topic of torture is important for research, due to the enormous controversies seen in the media about it and the secrecy of some countries that use it. Previous research includes a number of surveys, asking individuals about their perceptions of the use of torture. It is important to consider young adults' perceptions on the justification of torture on terrorism suspects, as they are the future leaders and will be policy makers with the power to legalize it in times to come. Additionally, young adults have grown... middle of paper ......incup, E. (2007) Doing Research on Crime and Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mike. (2011). Ensure the credibility of qualitative research. Available: http://credibility-rsmet.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/ensuring-credibility-of-qualitative.html. Last accessed April 25, 2014. Pew Research Center. (2008). Justified torture. Available: http://pewresearch.org/daily-number/torture-justified. Last accessed April 23, 2014. USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll. (2005). USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll results. Available: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/polls/tables/lives/2005-01-10-poll.htm. Last accessed April 22, 2014. Gronke, P., Rejali, D. et al (2010). American public opinion on torture, 2001-2009. PS: Political Science & Politics. 43 (3), 437-444 Zegart, A. (2012). Torture creep. Available: http://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/25/torture_creep. Last consulted on April 23 2014.