Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Business Insider
50% of Americans believe political violence is a 'very big problem' in the US after Trump rally shooting
By John L. Dorman,Katie Balevic,
1 day ago
Secret Service agents converge on former President Donald Trump onstage at his Pennsylvania campaign rally.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The threat of political violence has been an unfortunate element of many open societies.
In a YouGov poll taken after the Trump rally shooting, half of US adults said it's "a very big problem."
President Joe Biden is seeking to project an image of unity and calm a stunned nation.
One thing is clear after shots were fired at former President Donald Trump during his Saturday rally in Pennsylvania: Americans are freaked out.
In a YouGov poll taken after the shooting, 50% of adults said that political violence is "a very big problem" in the US. An additional 32% of adults said that political violence is "somewhat of a problem" in American society.
Only 2% of American adults in the new survey felt that political violence isn't an issue in the country.
There's a major disparity among age groups when it comes to the issue. While 37% of Americans aged 18 to 29 rated political violence as "a very big problem," a whopping 63% of Americans aged 65 years old and older agreed with that statement.
One explanation for the gap could be the memories of societal turbulence from the 1960s.
For Americans who lived through the 1960s or are tied to that era in some way, the assassinations of major figures like President John F. Kennedy, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy collectively represented some of the darkest days of that decade.
A stunning 67% of the respondents said the current political climate makes political violence "more likely" than normal.
Chaos erupted on Saturday evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, where Trump was fired upon while holding a political rally ahead of the Republican National Convention.
Biden emphasized a message of unity as he spoke about the incident at the White House on Sunday.
"Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now — unity," he said. "We'll debate and we'll disagree. But we're not going to lose sight of who we are as Americans."
The president is set to address the nation from the Oval Office on Sunday.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Comments / 0