Disturbing Number Of Young People Say Political Violence Is Justified: NEW POLL
A growing number of young Americans believe political violence can be justified, Politico reported Monday in its latest survey conducted by Public First.
The poll found that 24 percent of Americans believe there are circumstances in which political violence can be justified, compared to 64 percent who say it is never acceptable, according to Politico’s report on the survey. Among young adults, this figure rises sharply, with more than one in three adults under the age of 45 recognizing that there are circumstances in which political violence is justified. There was “little partisan division” on the issue, according to Politico, although neither the precise breakdown of the numbers nor the wording of the questions were included in the report.
These findings come amid a wave of politically motivated attacks and threats in recent months, including the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in September, attacks on several Democratic lawmakers, assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, and recent attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities. (RELATED: DOJ Announces New Round of Arrests in Crackdown on Left-Wing Terrorism)
DC – 10/14: US President Donald Trump posthumously awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, presenting the medal to his wife Erika Kirk during a ceremony in the White House Rose Garden. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Fifty-five percent of respondents expect an increase in politically motivated attacks in the country in the coming years, and more than half say it is very or somewhat likely that a political candidate will be assassinated in the next five years.
The survey was conducted Oct. 18-21 among 2,051 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.
Previous surveys have found similar trends, particularly among Democrats and younger Americans.
A Neapolitan News Service poll taken shortly after Kirk’s assassination found that 26 percent of people ages 18 to 34 answered “yes” to the question: “While it’s always difficult to wish harm on another human being, is America better off now that Charlie Kirk has been killed?” Among Democrats, 24% said yes, while 31% of respondents who identify with the policies of New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared this view.
A separate survey conducted by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression found that more than a third of college-aged students are open to using violence to prevent speech on campus.
Kirk was shot and killed Sept. 12 while speaking to students at an event at Utah Valley University. The man accused of Kirk’s murder allegedly lived with a “partner” who identified as transgender, and his family members told authorities that he became increasingly radicalized over time and embraced left-wing and LGBTQ ideologies.
In a recent example of how political violence and its images are normalized, a prominent far-left YouTuber sparked backlash over Halloween weekend after sharing a fake costume image of “Erika Kirk” that mocked the newly widowed conservative activist as a “con artist.”
The rise in political violence and threats has not been limited to public figures.
The Department of Homeland Security reported in October that death threats against ICE agents increased by 8,000 percent, while the Justice Department brought its first federal terrorism case against two Antifa-linked individuals who allegedly coordinated a July attack on a federal immigration detention center in Texas.
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