Almost 80 percent of Americans believe the U.S. is in crisis and more than half are concerned that political violence will worsen in the coming years, a new poll has found.
In the wake of recent seismic events, including the assassination of MAGA commentator Charlie Kirk, a poll by Quinnipiac University showed 79 percent of voters agreed that the country was “in political crisis,” while 18 percent said it was not.
Along party lines, 93 percent of Democrats agreed, as did 60 percent of Republicans.
“The Kirk assassination lays bare raw, bipartisan concerns about where the country is headed,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
In addition to the perceived political crisis, the poll also showed that an overwhelming majority, 71 percent, considered politically motivated violence a “very serious problem” in the U.S., with 22 percent believing it to be a “somewhat serious problem.”
The survey noted a jump from a previous Quinnipiac University poll on June 26, when 54 percent thought politically motivated violence was a very serious problem, and 37 percent thought it was a somewhat serious problem.
Since the fatal shooting of Kirk at a college event in Utah just over two weeks ago members of the Trump administration have placed the blame squarely at the feet of “left-wing extremism.”
Acting as the guest host of The Charlie Kirk Show following his death, Vice President JD Vance baselessly claimed that “the data is clear” that “people on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence.”
“While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left,” he said.
Despite Vance’s claims, a variety of analyses, including federally funded research, suggest extremists affiliated with right-wing political causes have killed more people than any other ideological group.
On Wednesday, Vance also blamed, without evidence, a “violent left-wing extremist” for an attack on an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, and claimed the shooter was “politically motivated.” No official motive has been released by authorities and no ICE agents were injured.
Voters are concerned about such charged political rhetoric, with 58 percent saying they do not believe it is possible to “lower the temperature” on such stances. But 34 percent did.
Over half, 54 percent, of respondents think political violence in the U.S. will worsen over the next few years, while 27 percent think it will remain about the same, and 14 percent think it will ease.
In addition, over half, 53 percent, said they were pessimistic about freedom of speech being protected in the U.S., while 43 percent say they are optimistic.
“From a perceived assault on freedom of speech to the fragility of the democracy, a shudder of concern and pessimism rattles a broad swath of the electorate,” Malloy added.
“Nearly 80 percent of registered voters feel they are witnessing a political crisis, seven in ten say political violence is a very serious problem, and a majority say this discord won’t go away anytime soon.”
The Quinnipiac University survey was conducted between September 18 and 21 and took responses from 1,276 self-identified registered voters from throughout the U.S.
