Recent polls indicate that while most Americans believe political violence is unjustifiable, liberals are more inclined than conservatives to consider its use for political ends.
A YouGov survey conducted after the tragic shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk revealed that 72% of Americans think violence is never acceptable, while 11% believe it could be justified. About 12% of respondents were unsure and 6% preferred not to answer.
The survey posed the question of whether respondents felt that relying on violence was justifiable for citizens aiming to achieve political goals.
Findings from the September 10 poll showed that liberal respondents were more likely to view violence as sometimes acceptable. Specifically, 25% of those identifying as “very liberal” thought political violence could be justified, compared to 9% of self-identified liberals, 6% of conservatives, and just 3% of those identifying as “very conservative.”
Interestingly, younger Americans tended to support the notion of justified political violence more than older individuals. For instance, 26% of liberals under 45 considered it acceptable at times, while this figure dropped to 12% for those over 45. Likewise, 12% of moderates under 45 agreed, compared to 6% of their older counterparts. Among conservatives, 7% of younger individuals felt it could be justified, against 4% of older conservatives.
A follow-up YouGov Snap poll, taken a couple of days later, found that 18% of liberals, 7% of conservatives, and 6% of moderates endorsed the idea that violence might sometimes be justified for political gains.
This Snap poll also explored whether respondents would be content with the death of a public figure they opposed. In this case, 16% of liberals indicated that such satisfaction was usually or always acceptable, with 24% of those labeling themselves as “very liberal” agreeing. Only 4% of conservatives and 7% of moderates shared this view.
Democratic leaders have condemned Kirk’s assassination and political violence in general. However, there have been increasing reports of people losing their jobs for allegedly celebrating his death.
The September 10 survey included 2,646 US adults with a margin of error of about 2.5 percentage points. The September 11 survey featured 4,028 adults with a 3% margin, and the September 12 survey included 3,004 adults, also with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
