One-third of Americans believe that violence against the government is “justified”
Survey findings, which point to an increase in support for violence among Americans, showed that 40% of Republicans agree with hurting local officials, as do 23% of Democrats
A third of Americans claim that violence against the government is sometimes “justified,” as part of a new poll with dire results released Saturday.
The riots in Captol, January 6 (Photo: Shutterstock)
The percentage of people with this opinion compared to previous years has increased significantly, according to a survey published by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland.
The results come amid a rise in violence, and almost a year after crowds stormed the Capitol following the results of the presidential election. The poll found that 40 percent of Republicans agreed that it was sometimes “justified for citizens to take violent action against the government.” 23% of Democrat respondents also agreed with the claim, and so did 41% of independents expressing their support.
Of those who agree with violence against the government with an acceptable thing, 22% said it was justified to infringe on personal freedoms, while 15% of respondents voted for a military takeover or a democratic collapse. Three percent said violence is appropriate with the government not accepting the election results.
As mentioned, in recent years the numbers have gone up, especially in the current year. In 2015, for example, 23 percent of Americans surveyed agreed with violence against the authorities. Five years earlier, the number was 16%, compared to the 1990s with only 13%.
The same poll, which found that 92 percent of Democrats think Trump is largely to blame for the January 6 riots in the Capitol, compared to 27 percent of Republican voters.
The survey, it should be noted, was attended by more than 1,100 people, and was conducted the week before Christmas.
In early November, a survey was published in which nearly a third of Republicans thought violence might be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States, according to a national survey by the Public Institute for Religious Studies – PRRI.
Nearly one in five, or 18 percent, of respondents said they agreed with the statement: “Because things got out of hand, true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country,” said 30 percent of Republican respondents, 11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of Democrats. .
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