Americans largely agree political violence is never justified, but a new poll shows liberals are more likely than conservatives to say violence can be warranted in order to achieve political goals.
In the YouGov survey conducted in the immediate aftermath of the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 72 percent of Americans said violence is never justified, while 11 percent said it can sometimes be justified. Another 12 percent said they’re not sure, and 6 percent prefer not to say.
The question asked respondents if they think “it is ever justified for citizens to resort to violence in order to achieve political goals.”
The Sept. 10 poll shows the more liberal respondents are, the more likely they say violence can sometimes be justified.
Twenty-five percent of respondents who identified as “very liberal” said violence can sometimes be justified to achieve political goals, along with 17 percent of those who identified as “liberal,” 9 percent of moderates, 6 percent of those who say they’re “conservative” and 3 percent of those who identify as “very conservative.”
Younger Americans are also more likely to say political violence can sometimes be justified.
Twenty-six percent of liberals under 45 years old, compared to 12 percent of liberals 45 and over, say political violence can sometimes be justified; 12 percent of moderates under 45 years old, compared to 6 percent of moderates 45 and over, say it’s sometimes justified; and 7 percent of younger conservatives, compared to 4 percent of older conservatives, say it’s sometimes justified.
Another YouGov snap poll taken two days later shows 18 percent of liberals, 7 percent of conservatives, and 6 percent of moderates say violence is sometimes justified to achieve political goals.
A Sept. 11 snap poll asked respondents about whether it’s acceptable for a person to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose.
Liberals were again more likely to say it’s usually or always acceptable to be happy about public figures’ death, with 16 percent holding this position, including 24 percent of “very liberal” respondents and 10 percent who say they identify as liberal but not very liberal.
Only 4 percent of conservatives and 7 percent of moderates held this view.
Democratic leaders have condemned the Kirk shooting and political violence broadly in the wake of the assassination. A growing number of reports, however, indicate people across the country have been losing their jobs for allegedly making comments celebrating Kirk’s death.
The Sept. 10 survey included 2,646 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of approximately 2.5 percentage points. The Sept.11 survey included 4,028 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The Sept. 12 survey included 3,004 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
