U.S. survey shows rising support for political violence across partisan divide

Nearly one in four Americans view political violence favorably, according to a new study.

The latest edition of the American Values Survey, a yearly report spearheaded by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) with the Brookings Institution, has shown startling findings on escalating partisan divisions in the United States.

Even as the current administration under President Joe Biden claims to strive for political unity, the survey indicates a rising sentiment favoring political violence. An alarming 23% of respondents believe the deteriorating state of affairs in the country means "true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country."

That level of support has risen from 15% in 2021, first reported the Guardian.

The survey delves further into the political affiliations of respondents with 33% of Republicans open to endorsing violence to save the nation, contrasted with 22% of independents and 13% of Democrats. Each of these figures denotes an increase from the previous year.

President Biden addresses the nation, saying "at least" 14 US citizens were killed in Hamas' terror attack against Israel, noting "reports of babies being killed, entire families slain, young people massacred while attending a music festival."

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In addition, white evangelical Protestants are notably more supportive of this sentiment than any other religious group, with nearly a third backing the notion.

Furthermore, the inclination towards political violence is particularly pronounced among several subsets of the population, including nearly half (46%) of those who believe the 2020 U.S. election was unjustly taken from then President Donald Trump.

Over two in five (41%) of those holding a positive opinion of Trump also support the use of political violence.

Another 41% of individuals who subscribe to the "replacement theory" and 39% who support "white Christian nationalism," positing that God destined America to be a haven for European Christians.

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In July 2020, a database of nearly 900 politically motivated attacks and plots in the U.S. since 1994. Over the same time period, American white supremacists and other "right-wing extremists" have carried out attacks that left at least 329 victims dead, it said.

Since 2010, the database lists 21 victims killed in left-wing attacks, and 117 victims of right-wing attacks in that same period.

Attacks inspired by the Islamic State and similar jihadist groups, in contrast, killed 95 people since 2010. More than half of these victims died in a single attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.