Americans Increasingly Concerned About Political Violence

Against a backdrop of so much concern that democracy is under threat, Americans also see a rising potential for political violence: almost two-thirds think the coming years will bring an increase. And the percentage holding that view has itself been rising even higher, compared to 2021.

The prospect of violence is tied in part to a perception of widening divisions: a whopping 80% of Americans believe the U.S. is more divided now than it was during their parents’ generation. {snip}

Then, when they look forward, a majority believe that a generation from now the U.S. will be less of a democracy than it is today.

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About half of partisans see the other side as enemies: 47% of Democrats see Republicans this way, 49% of Republicans see Democrats as such. Obviously that’s not all partisans. Within each self-identified group, ideology and activism play a role. Liberal Democrats are more likely to label Republicans that way than are moderate Democrats. Conservative Republicans are more likely than moderates to call Democrats enemies, as are Republicans who report considering themselves part of the “MAGA movement” specifically.

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And we note that Americans widely decry the idea of violence: 86% say violence is always unacceptable, and there’s no difference on this between parties or ideologies.

Most people still want unity, in this sense: there is not a lot of support for the (perhaps unrealistic) idea of dividing the country into two nations of “red” states and “blue” ones.

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