Most in US ‘very concerned’ about political violence, poll shows. Whom do they blame?

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans say they are somewhat or very concerned about an increased risk of political violence, according to a new poll. The poll was conducted in the days after the attack on Paul Pelosi, husband to Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives and second in line for the presidency.

Sixty-three percent of those surveyed said they were “very concerned” that political divisions in the country have led to a larger risk of politically motivated violence, while 25% said they were “somewhat” concerned, according to the poll. Only 12% said they were “not so concerned” or “not concerned at all.”

The poll was conducted by the Washington Post and ABC News from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, a few days after Paul Pelosi was attacked on Friday, Oct. 28. It surveyed 1,005 adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Despite the general consensus in the concern of political violence, there is disagreement over who or what is to blame.

A quarter (25%) of respondents blame the Democratic party; 31% blame the Republicans, and 32% blame both parties equally for the increased risk of violence, according to the poll.

About half, 49%, say former President Donald Trump encourages political violence when he speaks, and a similar figure, 47%, believe the news media encourages political violence in “the way they report the news,” according to the poll.

The poll comes less than a week before Election Day, which federal law enforcement officials have warned may be accompanied by a “heightened threat” of violence on account of perceived election fraud, according to ABC News.

A YouGov poll conducted this summer found most Americans believe political divisions have worsened, and four in ten respondents said they think a civil war is “at least somewhat likely in the next decade.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2022 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Most in US ‘very concerned’ about political violence, poll shows. Whom do they blame?."