Eight in 10 Americans are concerned about political violence in the U.S., according to the latest Politico-Morning Consult poll, which comes in the wake of the violent attack against the husband of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
That fear was prevalent in both parties, with 88 percent of Democrats and 76 percent of Republicans reporting the concerns, according to the survey.
Sixty-five percent of voters said they think political violence has increased nationally, though most don’t see it increasing in their own local communities.
While an overwhelming majority — 83 percent — think the perpetrators of political violence are to blame for their actions, voters also fault social media platforms, the news media and former President Trump.
Three-quarters of voters blamed social media, 69 percent blamed news and 55 blamed television hosts and political commentators. More than half, at 58 percent, blamed Trump — including 30 percent of people who voted for him in 2020.
Many Americans are increasingly concerned that political violence is on the rise in the U.S. amid a tense and polarized political landscape. The White House has said Americans have a responsibility to call the issue out.
Pelosi was in Washington late last month when an intruder broke into her California home and and attacked her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer. The suspect reportedly told police he was on a “suicide mission” in search of the Speaker and that he intended to kidnap her, hold her hostage and break her kneecaps if she “lied.”
The incident sparked outrage from some Democrats who blamed Republicans for their violent rhetoric, while some Republicans attributed the incident to Democratic policies on crime.
Sixty-three percent of voters in the Politico-Morning Consult poll, conducted a week after the Pelosi attack, said it was “definitely or probably” an act of political violence.
Conducted Nov. 4-5, the poll surveyed 2,005 voters and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
