Very, very few Americans support political violence. Political violence is real and we condemn it. Fortunately, only a tiny fraction of Americans actually supports its use.
Here are four kinds of political violence and the share of Americans who supported each, courtesy of the Polarization Research Lab. We show the long-run averages starting from September 2022 and averages for the week of August 18. None exceed 3.5%.
| Democrats | Republicans | |||
| Long-run | Aug. 18 | Long-run | Aug. 18 | |
| Assault | 3.5% | 1.9% | 2.4% | 0.6% |
| Arson | 2.7% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 0.4% |
| Use of a Deadly Weapon | 2.2% | 0.9% | 1.5% | 0.2% |
| Murder | 1.9% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 0.2% |
There is an alarming amount of self-deception about political violence. Most people who identify with one of the two major parties incorrectly believe (1) the problem comes from the other party and (2) the share of people in the other party who support violence is far larger than reality.
For example, Democrats believe 44% of Republicans support the assault of political opponents when only 2.4% actually do. Similarly, Republicans believe 45% of Democrats support the assault of political opponents when only 3.5% actually do.
Opportunistic leaders can work with that kind of misunderstanding – at the cost of our freedom.
On one hand, our leaders know many of us have been frightened by the violence that has occurred. Some of those leaders may be tempted to use our fear as a justification for a crackdown – on all of us. On the other hand, many of us might be willing to trade our liberty (and yours too) for a feeling of safety.
We offer a different path.
- If you know someone tempted by violence, don’t ignore them and don’t encourage them. Contact the authorities.
- If you are scared, work to see the reality through the fear. Help those around you do the same. You can start by sharing the numbers cited here. It can also help to stop paying attention to the cable news networks and your social media. See also our short course on how to manage fear-mongering.
- Be clear with your elected officials – and everyone around you – that free speech and peaceful political protests are Constitutionally protected and are not political violence.
- Encourage your elected officials – and everyone around you – to reject heavy-handed government tactics just as much as they reject political violence. Instead,
- Push the state and local criminal justice systems to respect due process and the rule of law as they prosecute the few hot-heads who do use violence.
- Rely on elections and legislative debate to settle disputes over leadership and policies.
- Understand how the Constitution’s framers meant to protect us from government tyranny through the separation of powers backed by civil liberties and rights.
If you want to learn more about the U.S. system of government, we have a several short courses you can read in just a few sittings. You can find them here: CFFAD.org. We keep things non-partisan: each course has been reviewed by at least one conservative and at least one progressive expert.
