America on edge

The latest act of horrific violence in American politics appears to have put the nation on edge.

An overwhelming number of Americans worry about rising political violence in the country, the most recent fatal incident occurring on a Utah college campus last week.

And a new nationwide Morning Consult poll found people attribute the current climate to politicians themselves, more than to any other group.

According to the survey of 2,239 U.S. adults, 86% say they are concerned about political violence in the country today, including 61% who are very concerned. Only 8% were not concerned, while 6% had no opinion.

Concern about political violence is almost universal, said Jason Perry, director of the Hinckley Institute of Politics, noting nearly nine out of 10 people say it is a worry.

“What stands out is that Republicans, Democrats, and independents all share that concern, even if they explain it in different ways,” he said. “These results show that political violence is not just a partisan issue. People across the spectrum see it as a serious problem, which is rare at a time when so few issues bring people together.”

But political violence wasn’t the only area in which Americans expressed a high degree of concern. Civil unrest, political polarization, threats to freedom of speech, domestic terrorism, safety of elected officials and public figures, gun violence, hate speech and security at political events also elicited strong responses in the survey.

Morning Consult conducted the poll for the Deseret News and University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute of Politics Sept. 10-15. It has a margin of error plus or minus 2 percentage points.

Recent political violence

The new survey comes in the aftermath of the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University last Wednesday, which has brought heightened attention to the violent state of American politics.

A lone gunman fatally shot Kirk from a rooftop as he took questions under a pop-up tent in an amphitheater in the center of the campus surrounded by an estimated crowd of 3,000 people. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler James Robinson, of Washington County, Utah, in connection with the killing.

Kirk is the most recent example of political violence that has targeted people on both sides of the political aisle.

In June, two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses were shot at their homes. State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, died. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured.

Also this year, Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family were forced to flee after someone threw a Molotov cocktail into the governor’s mansion, causing severe damage. Last year, Donald Trump was the target of two assassination attempts while campaigning for a second term, the first one leaving Trump wounded in the right ear and killing one person and injuring two others.

An NPR/PBS/Marist poll in July found that 73% of respondents believe political violence is a major problem. That survey was taken right after the two Minnesota shootings.

In the new Morning Consult poll, self-identified Republicans expressed slightly more concern about violence in politics than self-identified Democrats at 93% to 90%, still both extremely high. Concern among self-identified independents was much lower at 78%, though 11% had no opinion.

Poll respondents also expressed great concern over domestic terrorism, gun violence, hate speech and threats to free speech, all exceeding 83%.

Finger pointing

The survey found Americans divided over whether the left or the right bears more responsibility for political violence in the United States today.

Thirty percent say both the left and the right bear equal responsibility, while 24% put the blame on Republicans and 22% on Democrats. Only 6% say neither side bears the responsibility and 18% didn’t express an opinion.

When broken out by party affiliation, Democrats and Republicans pointed the finger at each other.

“Republicans most often say the left, Democrats most often say the right, and independents are the most likely to say both sides. The data shows that partisan voters tend to blame their opponents, while independents lean toward shared responsibility. That reflects an awareness among many people that reducing conflict will require effort from both sides,” Perry said.

Among Democrats, 43% say the right bears the most responsibility, while 28% say both the left and the right, and 14% say neither. Only 7% of Democrats say the left is most responsible.

Among Republicans, 51% say the left bears the most responsibility, while 25% say both the left and the right, and 6% say neither. Only 10% of Republicans say the right is most responsible.

Among independents, 36% put the responsibility on both the left and the right. They also put a little more blame on the right than the left, 18% to 13%, but just over a quarter didn’t express an opinion.

When asked who’s most responsible for the current climate of political violence among five specific groups — politicians, media, social media platforms, activist groups and the general public — the survey found politicians topped the list at 42%. Media came next at 25%, followed by social media and activist groups at 22% each and the public at 16%.

While Americans place the greatest share of responsibility for today’s climate of political violence on elected leaders, they also point to media, social media platforms and activist groups, “but politicians stand out,” Perry said.

“Partisans differ in where they place blame. Republicans are more likely to fault the media and activist groups, while Democrats point to politicians. Independents fall in between,” he said. “Across the spectrum there is a clear theme that many people believe those in positions of influence are contributing to division and conflict.”

More than half of Democrats say politicians bear the most responsibility, compared to less than a third of Republicans who say that.

A third of Republicans cast blame on the media, compared to less than a fifth of Democrats.