One third of Americans believe some violence against government justified
3 Min Read
This is the first time in over two decades that this many Americans share the view, according to the survey findings.
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The Capitol storming on January 6, 2021 (The Washington Post)
According to a Washington Post-University of Maryland study, one in every three Americans believes that violence against the government can be justifiable. The findings mark the highest proportion of people who feel this way in polls over two decades.
The majority still believe that violence is never justifiable, but 62% now believe that compared to the 1990's when 90% felt it was never justifiable.
Justifications range from coronavirus restrictions to the marginalization of minority voters.
According to the survey, 44% of Republicans and 41% of independents believe violence against the government is justifiable.
The view is held by 40% of White Americans compared with 18% of Black Americans. Men, younger individuals, and those with a college education were more likely to accept violence against the government.
When asked open-ended questions, notions of "autocracy," "tyranny," "corruption," and "loss of freedom," were commonly repeated.
“The world we live in now is scary,” said Anthea Ward, 32, a Republican. “I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist but sometimes it feels like a movie. It’s no longer a war against Democrats and Republicans. It’s a war between good and evil.”
While a 2015 poll revealed no substantial political gap on the issue of justifiable violence against the government, the current poll indicated a steeper uptick on the right, with 40% of Republicans and 41% of independents saying it is acceptable, but only 23% of Democrats share this viewpoint.
Taylor Atkins, 29, feels that bearing arms against the government is "absolutely" justified when those in authority positions exploit their power to subjugate Americans.
Jennifer Ward, a housekeeper in Michigan, said she would not engage in violence if the government imposed harsher vaccine laws.
Although many republicans voted for Trump, they expressed that they did not agree with the Capitol storming on January 6.
Matthew Wood, 37, stated that since the epidemic began, he has been more interested in local politics. "If governments aren't willing to work and make changes, then so be it," he said.
Tomasz Antoszczak, 39, a Democrat, stressed that violence would be "a very last resort." Antoszcask added that the last years "definitely opened my eyes a little bit more as to how fragile our government can be."
