Nearly 80% say US in political crisis, fear violence ahead: Poll
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A new Quinnipiac University poll shows that 79% of voters believe the United States is in a political crisis, with a majority fearing political violence will worsen in the coming years.
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People wait in line before a memorial for MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nearly 80% of voters believe the United States is in a political crisis, and more than half fear political violence will intensify in the coming years, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll published on September 24.
The survey found that 79% of voters said the country is “in political crisis,” while only 18% disagreed. Along party lines, 93% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans agreed with the statement.
The Quinnipiac poll was conducted from September 18 to 21, and surveyed 1,276 registered voters nationwide.
"From a perceived assault on freedom of speech to the fragility of the democracy, a shudder of concern and pessimism rattles a broad swath of the electorate." said Quinnipiac Polling Analyst Tim Malloy in the report announcing the poll. “Nearly 80 percent of registered voters feel they are witnessing a political crisis, seven in ten say political violence is a very serious problem, and a majority say this discord won't go away anytime soon.”
Read more: Death penalty sought in Charlie Kirk assassination case
Charlie Kirk assassination heightens fears of political violence
The poll comes in the wake of the assassination of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk, whose killing at a college event in Utah has amplified national anxieties.
The survey revealed that 71% of respondents see politically motivated violence as a “very serious problem,” compared to 54% in a June poll. Another 22% said it was a “somewhat serious problem.”
“The Kirk assassination lays bare raw, bipartisan concerns about where the country is headed,” Malloy noted.
Trump officials point fingers as partisan divide deepens
Since Kirk’s death, Trump administration officials have blamed “left-wing extremism.” Acting as guest host of The Charlie Kirk Show, US Vice President JD Vance claimed without evidence that “people on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence.”
Vance added, “While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.”
Research, however, indicates that right-wing extremist groups have been responsible for more politically motivated killings in recent decades than any other ideological movement.
Vance also linked, without proof, a recent attack on an ICE facility in Dallas to a “violent left-wing extremist,” though officials have not identified a motive, and no agents were injured.
The Quinnipiac survey highlights widespread voter pessimism. 54% of respondents expect political violence in the United States to worsen, while 27% believe it will remain the same and only 14% expect it to ease.
Additionally, 58% said they do not believe it is possible to “lower the temperature” on divisive political rhetoric, while 34% were more optimistic.
Pessimism grows over free speech and democracy
Concerns extend beyond violence to broader democratic values. More than half of voters, 53%, said they were pessimistic about the protection of free speech in the United States, while 43% were optimistic.
“From a perceived assault on freedom of speech to the fragility of democracy, a shudder of concern and pessimism rattles a broad swath of the electorate,” Malloy said.
