Most Americans Think The U.S. Will Have More Political Violence And Be Less Of A Democracy, Poll Finds - Forbes

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Topline

A majority of Americans believe political violence in the U.S. will increase and that the country will be less of a democracy for future generations than it is now, a new CBS News poll finds, as most Americans see the U.S. as irreparably divided between political parties—though they denounce the violence themselves.

Key Facts

The poll, conducted August 29-31 among 2,085 U.S. adults, found 64% of respondents think political violence in the U.S. will increase over the next few years, up from 57% in December 2021 and 51% in January 2021.

That includes 72% of people who identify as liberal, 58% of moderates and 68% of conservatives, and respondents who voted for President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump in 2020 were equally as likely to predict future violence (70% of each said it will increase).

A 54% majority said the U.S. will be “less of a democracy” for the next generation than it is now, while 27% say it will be the same as now and 19% predicted it will be more of a democracy.

Republicans were actually far more likely than Democrats to predict democracy would backslide, with 64% of Republicans and 71% of Trump voters believing it will be less of a democracy versus 44% of Democrats and 45% of Biden voters.

An 86% majority believe using force and violence is “always unacceptable” as a method to achieve political goals.

An 80% majority believe the U.S. is more divided today than it was during their parents’ generation and the same percentage feel the overall civility in American politics has gotten worse, and 67% are pessimistic that Americans with different political beliefs “can still come together and work out their differences.”

Surprising Fact

A 57% majority “strongly oppose” the U.S. being divided into two “red” and “blue” countries despite the nation’s political divisions and only 7% strongly favor it. Republicans were more likely to be open to breaking the country up, with 49% of Republicans and 48% of conservatives strongly opposing it versus 62% of liberals and Democrats.

Tangent

The poll was released days after Biden railed against “MAGA Republicans” who back Trump in a speech on September 1, saying they “represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.” The CBS poll, conducted before Biden’s speech, found 19% self-identified as “part of the MAGA movement.”

Key Background

The CBS poll follows other polling suggesting political violence could be on the rise, with a survey released in July from the Violence Prevention Research Program finding 20.5% of respondents believed political violence was at least “sometimes justified.” In his speech on Thursday, Biden pointed to MAGA Republicans’ continued refusal to accept the 2020 election results and installation of election deniers into positions of power as a threat to democracy, arguing they view the 2020 election and the violence on January 6 “as preparation for the 2022 and 2024 elections.” A previous CBS News poll released over the weekend found most voters believe there will be issues with the next election that could harm democracy, with a 67% majority believing it’s at least somewhat likely election officials will refuse to certify results. Among Republicans, a majority had concerns about potential voter fraud or ineligible voters casting ballots, which may be driving their concerns about the future of democracy, though there is no evidence to support claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 and election fraud is exceedingly rare.

Further Reading

Americans increasingly concerned about political violence — CBS News poll (CBS News)

Biden Castigates MAGA Republicans In Scathing Speech Against Trumpism (Forbes)

Survey Looks at Acceptance of Political Violence in U.S. (New York Times)

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Most Americans Think The U.S. Will Have More Political Violence And Be Less Of A Democracy, Poll Finds - Forbes
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