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On Thursday, Feb. 10, the American Survey Center revealed that nearly one-third of Americans (29 percent) agreed with the statement “If elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves even if it requires taking violent actions.”
Nearly 70 percent of Americans rejected violence as a means to political ends, according to the survey.
The American Perspectives Survey, January 2021, took the nation’s pulse on a variety of topics including whether people are proud to be American, reactions to the 2020 presidential election, Trump’s influence, political conspiracy fantasies, fascism, and the Capitol Building attack.
While some Americans are getting comfortable with the idea of the use of force, it doesn’t seem that many people are close to acting in violence. Only 9 percent of Americans overall and only 13 percent of Republicans said that they “completely” agree with using violence against political leaders.
“Although a significant number of Americans - and Republicans in particular - express support for the idea that violent actions may be necessary, there is a notable lack of enthusiastic support for it,” the study said.
Political violence has been more of a hot topic in recent years as discontent over the rising status of the most wealthy Americans booms and the rest of the country is in a state of occasionally paused busts.
Among conservative-minded people, the feeling that the political system is rigged against “traditional American values” is widespread, the study said. The values were not defined. About 55 percent of Republicans polled said they supported the use of force as a way to “arrest the decline of the traditional American way of life,” - about 35 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats felt the same way, the study said.
Meanwhile, most Americans - 7 out of 10 people - said that the American system of democracy is failing to address the concerns and needs of the public.
To see the full study, visit Americansurveycenter.org.
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