Tensions are high among American voters ahead of presidential contests next year, according to a new national survey released today by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in partnership with the Brookings Institution.
Researchers found that an overwhelming majority of Americans believe democracy is ‘at risk’ in the upcoming presidential election — and about a quarter of those surveyed said they think “American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country.”
“I think we’re in for a pretty challenging election season between now and the presidential election in 2024,” said Robert Jones, the CEO and founder of the PRRI — a nonpartisan group that conducts research on the intersection of politics, culture and religion.
According to the PRRI study, 75% of Americans surveyed said they agree that the “future of American democracy is at risk in the 2024 presidential election.” Democrats were more likely to hold this view with 84% support, but supermajorities of Republicans and independent voters said they also agreed with that statement.
Jones said that the most disturbing finding, however, is that more Americans support political violence. Nearly a quarter of Americans (23%) agree that “because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country,” according to the survey. This is up from 15% in 2021.
In a statement, PRRI researchers say they have asked about this in “eight separate surveys since March 2021.” They said that “this is the first time support for political violence has peaked above 20%” in their survey results.
Jones says he thinks these views are a symptom of continued polarization in the country’s politics. He also blamed a spillover effect created by the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
“I think the temperature is high and people feel the sense that the guardrails are down,” Jones explained. “We did have the first non-peaceful transfer of power in the last election and I think that still is resonating across the years and into this new election cycle.”
