A poll conducted by researchers at the Public Religion Research Institute nonprofit found that 30% of Republicans felt that violence could be necessary to “save” the U.S.
The statement that nearly a third of those surveyed agreed with read that “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country,” The Guardian reports. And of those who think the 2020 presidential election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, 39% believe violence may be needed.
PRRI found that 18% of Americans in total agreed with the statement that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence,” with 11% of Democrats and 17% of independents on the same boat.
“It is an alarming finding,” PRRI chief executive and founder Robert Jones told Yahoo News. “I’ve been doing this a while, for decades, and it’s not the kind of finding that as a sociologist, a public opinion pollster, that you’re used to seeing.”
For the survey, which was conducted eight months after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in Washington, 2,508 adults throughout 50 states were interviewed between Sept. 16 and 29, producing responses that Jones says display the “significant and rapidly increasing polarization in the United States.”
“As we’ve gotten some distance [from Jan. 6], one might hope cooler heads would prevail, but we really haven’t seen that,” Jones added. “If anything, it looks like people are doubling down and views are getting kind of locked in.”
An American Enterprise Institute survey done back in February found that 39% of Republicans agreed with the statement “if elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves, even if it requires violent actions,” with 29% of Americans in general in agreement with the statement.
