Headline Roundup • November 5th, 2024
Majority of Americans Oppose Political Violence
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Support for political violence is below 4% in both political parties, according to a study from the Polarization Research Lab conducted last October.
Against Violence: After the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump, More In Common found that 71% of survey participants expected more violence, however they tended to overestimate the other side's approval of violence. Democrats believed 47% of Republicans would agree with the statement, “Violence against Democrats is now justified," but that number was 13%. A September 2024 University of Chicago/NORC survey found that 77% of Americans support bipartisan action against political violence.
Polls Highlight Concerns: A USA TODAY/Suffolk University survey from last month found that 66% of voters are concerned about violence on Election Day or afterward. Harris voters are more concerned, with 89% saying they’re worried about violence, while 47% of Trump supporters said they aren’t very worried. An AP-NORC poll found 40% of voters in the U.S. have expressed concern about potentially violent attempts to overthrow the election results in November. The Daily Mail and J.L. Partners found that over 25% of likely voters thought there would be riots regardless of who wins the election. Sean Westwood, Associate Professor of Government at Dartmouth, said while any support for violence is troublesome, it's worth remembering: “Just because you say that you support partisan violence doesn’t mean that you, yourself, are going to commit an act of violence."
How the Media Covered It: Across the spectrum, some outlets are highlighting predictions of violence. On the left, several outlets said the right was more of a violent threat. Some are also prominently covering polarization among couples who voted differently. However, a plurality of outlets ran pieces emphasizing the need for Americans to recognize each other's humanity post-election.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Even before two people attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump, national security experts and law enforcement were warning that the United States needed a plan to contend with the possibility of political violence on Election Day.
Now, in the final weeks of the campaign, researchers have just published new findings about the social lives of people who are likely to endorse using political violence, and be willing to use it themselves.
Fights have broken out at polling stations and election workers have gone through active shooter drills.
There have been threats to blow up political offices and ballot boxes have been set on fire.
Before what could be the closest presidential election in history, staff trusted with overseeing the vote on Tuesday are already facing chaos and bracing for violence.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Americans are living through an extraordinary era of political violence. For years, political violence has been on the rise across the political spectrum—not just according to anecdotal examples but also based on rigorous long-term studies of a representative sample of U.S. citizens. Indeed, support for political violence has now become “normal,” at least when people are asked about the use of violence to achieve political goals that they also endorse.
A photo collage illustration shows fractured images of political violence in Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland, Brazil, and Ethiopia. At center...
