Polls show some Americans accept political violence, many fear it

July 21 (UPI) -- A significant minority of Americans believe that the use of force is justified to prevent or help Donald Trump to become president, according to a recent poll.

Despite the many public voices saying there is no place for political violence in America after the attempted assassination of Trump, the poll , conducted by the Chicago Project on Security and Threats at the University of Chicago weeks before the shooting, showed a different sentiment from some Americans.

The survey showed 10% of respondents thought violence to stop Trump from becoming president was acceptable, while 7% agreed that violence to restore him to the presidency was justifiable.

The majority of respondents disagreed that political violence was justified in either case, with 66.1% saying they disagreed with using force to keep Trump out of office and 70.8%. Additionally 22.6% were ambivalent regarding violence to stop Trump compared to 21.3% about violence to support him.

Almost 35 % of the "stop Trump" group own guns. Projected to the population as a whole, this represents 9 million people. Additionally, 19 % had attended a protest in the past 12 months, 11.5 % were members of a militia or knew someone who was, and 7.5 % had military experience. Also, 23%, representing 6 million people, thought that police who were violently attacked deserved it.

Two-thirds of those among the "restore Trump" group, 31%, representing 8 million Americans, were gun owners, 7.5 % had attended a protest in the last 12 months, 15 % were members of a militia or knew someone who was, and 4 % had military experience. Additionally, 27%, representing 7 million people, thought the January 6 Capitol rioters were patriots.

The poll was conducted in June 2024 by the research organization NORC, based at the University of Chicago.

While more than two-thirds of respondents rejected political violence, Americans as a whole seem pessimistic about the future. A Marist poll last May found that nearly half of Americans fear that civil conflict is either likely or very likely in their lifetime. The numbers varied by age, race, political affiliation, and sex.

Younger respondents thought domestic conflict likely at a much higher rate than their elders. The survey found 58% of Gen Z and Millennials foresee civil conflict in their lifetime, compared to 46% of Gen X, 34 % of Baby Boomers, and only 19% of the post-war generation.

More Black Americans, at 57%, see domestic conflict in their future, compared to 50% of Hispanics and 43% of whites. More women than men, at 51% to 43% and Republicans than Democrats, at 53% to 40%, believe such conflict is likely.