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    • 1 in 4 Republicans Support Political Violence, Survey Says
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    1 in 4 Republicans Support Political Violence, Survey Says

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    A new survey finds that more than 1 in 4 Republicans and nearly 1 in 3 Republicans with a favorable opinion of former President Donald Trump say political violence is acceptable.

    The survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute found that only 1 in 6 Americans support political violence. However, the numbers are much higher among Republicans than among Democrats.

    The survey was conducted during the first presidential election since violent rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to overturn an election Trump lost to President Joe Biden — and two months after Trump was shot in the ear in an assassination attempt.

    “This is not just a partisan issue,” said Robert Jones, the organization’s president. “It’s a Trump and MAGA issue. It’s a kind of Trumpian takeover of the Republican Party.”

    Anna Kelly, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement: “President Trump and Republicans stand for safer communities and keeping violent criminals off the streets.”

    Read more about extremism in America: Sign up for USA TODAY’s This is America newsletter.

    Violence and authoritarianism are linked

    According to the survey, 27% of Republicans and 32% of Republicans with a favorable opinion of Trump agree that “patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country.” Just 10% of independents and 8% of Democrats said the same.

    Jones linked that support for political violence to support for authoritarianism. The study found that 67% of Republicans scored high on an authoritarian scale, including 75% of pro-Trump Republicans, compared to 35% of independents and 28% of Democrats.

    To measure authoritarianism, respondents were asked whether they agreed with four statements, such as whether the country should “do what the authorities tell us to do and get rid of the ‘bad apples'” and whether the country should “bring to power some tough leaders and silence the troublemakers who spread bad ideas.”

    “Even Americans who identify as Republican but have negative views of Trump are much less likely to have this kind of authoritarian orientation that is associated with support for political violence,” Jones said.

    More specifically, when it comes to political violence, 24% of Republicans and 27% of Trump-leaning Republicans say that “if the 2024 presidential election is compromised by voter fraud, ordinary Americans should ensure that the rightful leader takes office, even if that requires violent action.” Only 15% of independents and 10% of Democrats agreed with the statement.

    There was also broad support for the right to have armed citizens serve as poll watchers to ensure a fair presidential election. Twenty-four percent of Republicans supported it, compared with 28% of Trump-supporting Republicans and 10% of independents and Democrats.

    Candidates and major political parties have a long history of recruiting and training poll watchers to be their eyes and ears, but the poll watchers are not armed. The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University has warned that poll watchers are susceptible to abuse. In 2022, Bloomberg reported that armed people were showing up at polling stations.

    “A powder keg of a country”

    Robert Pape, a professor at the University of Chicago who studies attitudes toward political violence, told USA TODAY that since 2021, there has been a consistent trend of millions of people supporting violence to achieve political goals.

    “The fundamental fact is that we have been a powder keg of a country for years, and we are heading into not only the most contentious election of our lifetime, but probably the most dangerous election of our lifetime,” Pape said.

    In June, a University of Chicago poll found that 7% of American adults, including nearly 12% of Republicans, support using force to reinstate Trump. On the other hand, 10% of Americans and about 12% of Democrats support using force to prevent Trump from becoming president again.

    “The real danger starts on November 6,” Pape said. “Most people are very focused on November 5 right now, but the real danger probably starts on November 6.”

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