Two-thirds of U.S. adults say they are worried “extremists” will commit acts of violence if they are unhappy with the results of the 2024 election, according to a poll released Thursday.
in Reuters/Ipsos pollThe survey, conducted May 7-14, found that 68% of U.S. adults strongly agree (33%) or somewhat agree (35%) with the statement, “I am concerned that extremists will commit acts of violence if there are discontents following the election and following the election results.”
Only 15% said they somewhat disagreed (10%) or strongly disagreed (5%) with this statement, and 15% said they were unsure.
This sentiment is particularly pronounced among Democrats, with 83% of them saying they strongly (47%) or somewhat agree (36%) are concerned about political violence. Only 8% said they disagreed and 9% said they were unsure.
This concern still appears to cross party lines, with 65% of Republicans agreeing strongly (25%) or somewhat (40%) with this concern, while 69% of independents agree strongly (34%) or somewhat (36%) with this concern.
Among Republicans, 22% disagreed with the concerns, while 16% of independents disagreed with the concerns. Twelve percent of Republicans and 14% of independents said they didn’t know.
The poll was conducted ahead of a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump in November.
Trump has yet to publicly acknowledge Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, but after losing that election he did everything in his power to overturn the election results and remain in power. Trump faces two criminal charges, one at the federal level and one in Georgia, for crimes related to these efforts.
On January 6, 2021, thousands of Trump supporters seeking to block the transfer of power took part in a violent attack on the Capitol, resulting in multiple deaths.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, President Trump hinted at the possibility of violence if he lost the election, but also claimed he would win a “huge victory” and therefore “there will be no violence.”
“And if we don’t win, it depends. It always depends on the fairness of the election,” Trump added, when pressed about what would happen if he lost.
A recent Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll asked voters in seven battleground states about the likelihood of political violence occurring during and after the election. Nearly half (49%) said they expected violence to occur.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll included 3,934 American adults and had a margin of error of 1.7 percentage points.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
