WASHINGTON, D.C. — Larger majorities of Americans than in the past believe that both the Democratic and Republican parties and their supporters have gone too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents. Sixty-nine percent now say this about the Republican Party and Republicans, a 16-percentage-point increase from 2011, and 60% currently believe this applies to the Democratic Party and Democrats, which is nine points higher than 14 years ago.
These results are based on an Oct. 1-16 Gallup poll, which updated a question that had been previously asked in 2011 in the wake of a mass shooting that injured former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six. The latest poll was conducted shortly after Republican activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during an appearance at a Utah college and follows two assassination attempts on Donald Trump in 2024.
Republicans and Democrats are now nearly unanimous in believing the other party has gone too far with its rhetoric and are much more likely to think this than in 2011. Ninety-four percent of Democrats, compared with 74% in 2011, now say Republicans and their supporters have gone too far, and 93% of Republicans (vs. 63% in 2011) say the same about Democrats and their supporters.
In contrast, partisans are disinclined to believe their own party has gone too far with its rhetoric and are no more likely now than in 2011 to hold this view. Today, 36% of Republicans believe the GOP and its supporters’ rhetoric has gone too far, compared with 32% in 2011. And Democrats are less likely now (28%) than in 2011 (45%) to say their party’s rhetoric has been too inflammatory.
For their part, political independents are significantly more likely than in 2011 to view both sides as having gone too far, including increases of 22 points for the GOP (to 74%) and 14 points for the Democratic Party (to 62%).
Spread of Extremist Views Online Blamed Most for Political Violence
A separate question, measured in an Oct. 1-15 Gallup Panel web survey, asked Americans how much they blame each of seven possible factors for recent political violence in the U.S. Slightly less than two-thirds, 64%, assign “a great deal” of blame to prominent politicians’ or political commentators’ inflammatory language. That ranks second to the 71% blaming the spread of extremist viewpoints on the internet for the recent violence. A slim majority of 52% say failures by the mental health system deserve considerable blame.
Forty-five percent of U.S. adults believe easy access to guns is highly blameworthy, while less than one-third say the same of drug use, insufficient security in public buildings, or violence in video games, movies or music lyrics. Still, at least half of Americans see each of the seven possible reasons to blame either a great deal or “a fair amount.”
Partisans are generally in agreement about the major causes of political violence.
- Two-thirds or more of Republicans, Democrats and independents say the spread of extremist views on the internet is deserving of a great deal of blame for political violence, with Democrats most likely to say so (79%).
- Democrats (72%) are also more likely than Republicans (58%) and independents (63%) to see inflammatory rhetoric from political leaders as a major cause of political violence.
- Similar slim majorities of the three party groups (between 51% and 54%) blame the mental health system’s failure to identify dangerous individuals as a major reason for political violence.
Democrats and Republicans diverge most in their views on whether easy gun access is greatly to blame for recent political violence (74% of Democrats vs. 14% of Republicans).
Republicans are more inclined than Democrats and independents to cite drug use, insufficient public security and violence in entertainment media as deserving of blame for political violence.
In addition to evaluating the degree to which each of the seven factors is to blame for political violence, respondents were able to volunteer other factors they believe to be responsible. Nine percent mentioned specific politicians (including Trump) or politicians in general, while the same percentage cited bias or misleading information in the news media or on the internet.
Some of the other factors mentioned include crime, elected officials encouraging violence, racism, a corrupt legal system, political division and polarization, a lack of civility and empathy, gun laws, and a lack of morality, ethics and religion.
Bottom Line
Since Giffords was shot over a decade ago, additional incidents of political violence have occurred, including a mass shooting at a congressional baseball practice in 2017 that wounded Republican Rep. Steve Scalise and three others, the two assassination attempts on Trump last year, the slaying of the Democratic Minnesota House speaker and her husband in June, and the murder of Kirk in September. More generally, researchers have documented a sharp increase over this time, particularly since 2017, in political threats against elected officials of both parties.
In 2011, slim majorities of Americans agreed that both the Republicans and Democrats and supporters of the two parties had gone too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents. Those beliefs are more common now. And Americans view inflammatory rhetoric, along with the spread of extremist views on the internet, as the two factors most to blame for political violence in the country. While partisans are reluctant to blame their own side for going too far with the tone of their political rhetoric, they are generally in agreement on the major factors contributing to political violence in the U.S.
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