Americans across party lines say no to political violence

A UC Davis survey of over 8,600 people, first conducted in 2022 and repeated annually, found that most Americans across party lines reject political violence across 17 tested scenarios. Republicans showed higher support for violence to achieve certain political goals, ranging roughly 35% to 50% versus 25% to 27% among Democrats, but willingness to personally commit violence did not differ by party.

Lead author Garen Wintemute called the findings hopeful, arguing that a spiral of escalating political violence is not inevitable and that public rejection of violence carries a political cost for those who promote it. He noted the 2026 data, matching the same pattern, was published before the 2022 data due to a lengthy review process the journal apologized for.

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