Poll: 88% of Americans Are Worried About Political Violence

That includes 87% of Republicans, 95% of Democrats
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 4, 2022 5:40 PM CDT
Poll: 88% of Americans Are Worried About Political Violence
Police tape blocks a street outside the home of Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.   (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Some high-profile Republicans have made light of last week's attack on Paul Pelosi, but roughly 87% of Republicans overall say they are either somewhat concerned or very concerned about politically motivated violence in America, according to a new Washington Post/ABC poll. The poll found that 88% of Americans are concerned about political violence, including 95% of Democrats and 86% of independent voters. But while the concern was bipartisan, people were split on which side is to blame: Some 31% blame the GOP, 25% blame the Democratic Party, and 32% blame both parties equally, per ABC. Only 11% didn't blame either party.

Women are more likely than men to be concerned about politically motivated violence, and the level of concern tends to go up with a person's age, the poll found. The Post reports the FBI and other agencies issued an alert last week warning that in the 90 days after the midterm elections, "perceptions of election-related fraud and dissatisfaction with electoral outcomes likely will result in heightened threats of violence against a broad range of targets—such as ideological opponents and election workers." The poll was taken in the days after the Pelosi attack, which police say was carried out by David DePape, a 42-year-old Canadian citizen. DePape's online postings included numerous far-right conspiracy theories, the Los Angeles Times reports. (Read more political violence stories.)

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