Attitudes towards political violence in the United States
Charlie Kirk’s murder is an inexcusable act of political violence and a personal tragedy. Mr. Kirk was famous for sitting across from people he disagreed with, often on college campuses, and hashing it out. Whatever one's disagreements may be with him, violence is never acceptable in our common life.
His assassination is the latest in a troubling rise of politically motivated attacks in the United States, incidents that fuel a dangerous “us versus them” narrative. And while some leaders across the political spectrum have called for unity, the conversation is often shaped by the loudest and most divisive voices on social media and in politics. As a result, it can be challenging to discern how prevalent Americans’ support for political violence actually is.
Over the past five years, More in Common has studied Americans’ attitudes toward political violence and support for democratic norms/values across multiple national surveys and qualitative studies.
This newsletter aims to provide a concise overview of those findings alongside research from other scholars and institutions, ending with some information about the complexities around polling about political violence. We hope it’s a clearer, more evidence-based view of public opinion than what you may find from your feed.
Specifically, our research shows:
Social media discourse skews towards the extremes.
Democrats and Republicans alike both vastly overestimate their political opponents' support for political violence.
Americans are concerned that there's going to be more political violence in the future.
Americans want unity, constructive dialogue, and respect for freedom of speech.
Key Findings
1. Social media discourse skews towards the extremes.
Immediately after the 2024 presidential election, More in Common surveyed 5,000 Americans about the state of democracy. We found that the more people reported using social media, the more likely they were to agree that political violence may sometimes be necessary.
Furthermore, research from More in Common and others finds that extreme political views are disproportionately represented in social media content. These findings show that what we see on social media does not necessarily reflect most Americans views, as online discourse is often far more polarized than the public as a whole.
2. Democrats and Republicans alike both vastly overestimate their political opponents' support for political violence.
From the 2020 election to the 2024 assassination attempt on President Trump, the evidence is consistent: both parties vastly overestimate the other side’s support for violence.
Following the assassination attempt on President Trump, we conducted a survey in July 2024. We found Democrats estimated that nearly half of Republicans (47%) agree with the statement: “Violence against Democrats is now justified.” (Independents believe it is 38% of Republicans who agree.) However, only 13% of Republicans agreed.
“It is not justified for Democrats to be attacked now. We should turn the other cheek.”
—Sheila, 24-year-old White woman, Republican from Ocala, Florida
“Responding to this violent act with widespread violence is a stupid concept and one that has no place in this country.”
—Jaria, 35-year-old Black man, Republican from Sneads Ferry, North Carolina
This also is consistent with research we conducted in October 2020. We found both Democrats (96%) and Republicans (97%) overwhelmingly rejected the idea that physically attacking their political opponents would be justified in a scenario where their party’s candidate claimed the election was stolen. Yet Republicans and Democrats believed about half of the opposing party would support physically attacking their political opponents.
Additionally, since September 2022, the Polarization Research Lab surveys 1,000 Americans each week to track support for political violence. They consistently find very low levels of support for political violent crimes, alongside a persistent pattern in which both sides severely overestimate their opponents’ willingness to condone them. For example:
Only 3.5% of Democrats and 2.4% of Republicans supported someone who assaulted an opposing protestor by throwing rocks. Yet roughly four in ten Democrats and Republicans believed that members of the other party would support such an action—an exaggeration of more than tenfold.
3. Americans are concerned that there's going to be more political violence in the future.
Research (ours and others’) consistently finds a strong majority of Americans feel exhausted by political divisions.
When we asked Americans about concerns for future violence shortly after the 2024 assassination attempt against President Trump, 71% believed they will see more civil violence in the future.
4. Americans want unity, constructive dialogue, and respect for freedom of speech.
Despite fears of political violence and partisan divides, Americans across the spectrum strongly endorse core democratic and pluralistic values: freedom of speech, respect across differences, and a vision of national unity. However, they often underestimate their political opponents’ support for these values.
In a survey we conducted of 5,205 US adults in June 2025, we found 85% of Republicans and 89% of Democrats believe that “freedom of speech is unconditional.” Yet Republicans think only 52% of Democrats believe this and Democrats think only 57% of Republicans believe this.
Similarly, we found that 80% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans support that “it is important to respect those you disagree with.” Yet Republicans think only 36% of Democrats believe this and Democrats think only 39% of Republicans believe this.
In a January 2025 poll, Americans shared that they most desire the country to be “united.” Yet they don’t believe it’s a priority for the opposing party. Republicans think Democrats most likely want the country to be “green” and “global,” whereas Democrats think Republicans most likely want the country to be “traditional” and “Christian/religious.” (More in Common survey of 2,003 US Adults in 2025).
As we collectively process last week’s tragedy and its impact on our nation, we must remember that we do not have to turn over the narrative to the angriest and loudest voices. We each have agency: to denounce violence, to choose curiosity over judgement, to see neighbors as people rather than political labels.
Check out resources or to get involved with one of hundreds of organizations defusing the toxic polarization that breeds fear and hate. The deeper story is ours to claim should we choose to make it known: a nation that desires to feel united, and still can be.
A note on polling around political violence.
It is not uncommon to find different answers in surveys related measuring attitudes towards political violence. Surveys on political violence in the United States often report that between 8% and 40% of Americans support politically motivated violence. This can be for a few reasons:
It depends on how the question is asked. When asked about political violence in broad, abstract terms, some people may think of extreme or unusual scenarios, leading to higher levels of expressed support. But when surveys probe more specific actions, such as attacking elected officials or disrupting elections, support drops dramatically, and nearly everyone agrees that those who commit such acts should face criminal charges.
Often figures showing support for political violence are inflated. Factors such as vague questions, respondent disengagement, and careless answers all contribute to overstating the true level of support. For example, a 2023 States United report found that respondent carelessness alone can inflate survey estimates of support for political violence by more than 40%. Likewise, a 2022 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences estimated that actual support for political violence in the U.S. is no higher than about 7%. Together, these findings suggest that while violent incidents may dominate headlines, they do not reflect a widespread public endorsement of political violence or a slide into mass conflict.
At More in Common, we use a standard measure of support for political violence that provides a consistent benchmark without going into extensive detail about specific scenarios. Some academic studies use more narrowly defined or systematic batteries, which can help clarify the nuances of what kinds of violence people might or might not support. But regardless of the approach, our findings have indicated that actual levels of support remain low.
That said, a small but real minority of Americans does endorse political violence. Even if only 1% of the population held such views, that would still represent roughly 3 million Americans.
Importantly, low public support does not necessarily translate into fewer incidents: political violence can occur despite it not finding broad backing. As events such as the one this week unfold, that should remain a real concern for our nation.
All charts in this newsletter can be found here.
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