'Alarming finding': 30 percent of Republicans say violence may be needed to save U.S., poll shows

[Celerity]

https://news.yahoo.com/prri-poll-republicans-violence-040144322.html

Mon, November 1, 2021, 5:01 AM

Almost one-third of Republicans say they think violence may be necessary to solve the problems facing the United States, according to a new national survey by the nonprofit Public Religion Research Institute. The finding is part of PRRI’s 12th annual American Values Survey released Monday which, among other things, highlights the continued impact of the same falsehoods and conspiracy theories that fuelled the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol nearly one year later.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 16 and Sept. 29 through online interviews with a random sample of 2,508 adults living in all 50 states. Nearly one in five, or 18 percent, of overall respondents said they agreed with the statement: “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country,” including 30 percent of Republicans, 11 percent of Democrats and 17 percent of independents.

“It is an alarming finding,” said Robert Jones, CEO and founder of PRRI. “I’ve been doing this a while, for decades, and it’s not the kind of finding that as a sociologist, a public opinion pollster, that you’re used to seeing.” Overall, the responses to this question illustrate the “significant and rapidly increasing polarization in the United States,” he said.

Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, said that it’s “extremely disturbing” that “nearly a third of the Republicans measured in this poll are getting comfortable with the idea of political violence.” And, he said, the much smaller percentages of Democrats and independents who expressed support for this idea are also “enough to be concerning.”

snip

[elleng]

1. Can anyone explain this to me?

'The Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) is an American nonprofit, nonpartisan research and education organization that conducts public opinion polls on a variety of different topics, specializing in the quantitative and qualitative study of political issues as they relate to religious values.[1]

Major research

In 2014, PRRI launched the American Values Atlas, an interactive online tool that provides information about religious, political and demographic composition for all 50 states and particular issues.[2][3]'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Religion_Research_Institute

[PSPS]

2. "30 percent of Republicans"

1. This is just a religious outfit looking to peddle its "polling" product.

2. 30% is the typical bedrock MAGA support for self-identified republicans.

3. "Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country” -- this indicates that this is a "push poll."

4. "Easy to do is easy to say." In other words, 99% of those that said "yes" wouldn't actually do anything violent, but expressing the idea makes them feel important or threatening.

[LakeArenal]

32. Exactly. Hoping someone else starts something. But not them.

[ProfessorGAC]

33. The Basis Number Is 24%

So, this 30% is actually 1 in 14 adults.
In addition, it's 1 in 14 who think violence might be needed.
"Think" & "might" aren't exactly definitive descriptors.
I think we have a "poll" that provides the obvious result that there's a lunatic fringe. We didn't need a poll to confirm that.

[NanceGreggs]

3. And among that 30% ...

... are those alleged violence-supporting idiots who cower at the thought of a needle in their arm.

[TeamProg]

10. !!!

You said it!

[milestogo]

28. They want to inflict violence on others, not feel pain.

[KentuckyWoman]

4. These are the same people who believe

Jan 6 was tourism and nuking the whole Middle East to build freedom.

Those people are not wrapped well.

[msongs]

5. what happens when one side has a relentless coordinated campaign and the other side doesnt nt

[Evolve Dammit]

18. very good point

[Doodley]

6. If they truly believe the election was stolen, then these findings aren't surprising.

They are so filled up with hate and anger, they have no room for actual facts.

[Haggard Celine]

7. It's sad, but I'm just glad the figure is 18% overall.

I was afraid the 30% number was overall. It's a very loud minority that gets amplified by their irresponsible, seditious media. I'm just glad 82% of the people don't want violence. If it comes down to it, I think a strong majority will oppose that type of behavior and we'll crush any rebellion that the 18% try to bring about.

[Evolve Dammit]

19. Glad it's only 60 million? That's a lot bigger than the Confederacy. Yeah could be worse.

[Haggard Celine]

23. That's true, but the rest of the country has a lot more people

than the Union did, too.

[Evolve Dammit]

29. True, but an AR-15 is not a musket. And there has been a run on guns since O was elected.

Not saying we don't have them as well, but the hard cores tend to be right-leaning or total MAGAts. And they were gobbling up guns and ammo to the point there were always shortages. Still the case today.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. 18% Is Way Too High

Both Pew & Gallup had polls late spring that put self-declared Republicans at 24%. 30% of 24% is 7.2%. Not 18%.
In addition, this squishy poll includes question that result in a conclusion that 30% "think" that violence "might be" the only option.
It does NOT say 7.2% of Americans are committed to participating in violence.
It's easier to talk tough than to execute on it.

[canetoad]

8. Yep. The Nazis

Believed this too.

What can I say that hasn't already been all over social media.

[Roy Rolling]

9. "Alarming"

That is not news that is opinion.

[Celerity]

13. it is a quote

“It is an alarming finding,” said Robert Jones, CEO and founder of PRRI.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Religion_Research_Institute

Robert P. Jones is the founder and CEO of PRRI. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Missouri State University. Jones holds a Ph.D. in Religion from Emory University and a M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of The End of White Christian America (2016), which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. Jones is also the author of the 2020 book White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, in which he reveals that his distant relative who died in 1818 owned three enslaved people.

[ProfessorGAC]

35. Then He's Wrong!

It represents 7.2% of Americans who "think" violence "might be" the only solution. It's not 30% of people, it's 30% of 24%.
When we distill further, those actually willing to commit to such action is highly probable to be a diminishing fraction of that 7.2%.
This "alarming" finding appears to be that there is a violent fringe element, which we've known about for years.
Jones should be ashamed of himself for not digging more deeply into the numbers, and the implications therein.

[bucolic_frolic]

11. Hope it's a vicarious fad

local operatives seem to me the biggest worry about all of this. When push comes to shove most people just want to continue consumerism and junk food. The tipping point in modern culture might be if significant minorities of LE join the cult, or if it's just a few here and there as it has been so far.

[highplainsdem]

16. I wish it were, but it's a belief being pushed by RW radio hosts like Jesse Kelly.

https://democraticunderground.com/100215936666

[SouthernDem4ever]

26. This crap has been bloviated by all right-wing idiots on radio starting with Limbaugh in the 80's

and almost all of them are soft bottomed pigs who couldn't fight a pile of dogshit if they wanted to.

The rest of the morons in this country that listen to them and give them credence are mostly the same, with the exception of some weird militia groups who are too stupid to remember they aren't the only people with guns.

[patricia92243]

12. Save the US from what? The problem is them. Are they going to

commit violence against themselves.

[lambchopp59]

36. Oh, they do. They do.

Consider if you will that the same ilk believing vaccines are nefarious liberal plots, tend towards beliefs that warnings against moderate ETOH and/or unbridled illicit drug use are similarly to be ignored.
Along with brushing their teeth, not driving drunk, locking up the firearms while getting into heated debates about dog breeds or mating desires.
I just cringe to see a red capped one coming. It's always something unhinged.
Defiance syndrome idiots and victims of the sort account for many of our emergency room patients daily.
Two yesterday here. One has a good chance of survival.

[C_U_L8R]

14. Thirty percent of a rapidly shrinking party

Is looking pretty desperate and suicidal

[dalton99a]

15. A direct result of Donald Trump

Jones said the substantial showing of support for political violence among Republicans is “a direct result of former President Trump calling into question the election,” pointing to another stark finding from the PRRI poll: More than two-thirds of Republicans, or 68 percent, continue to believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, compared to 26 percent of independents and just 6 percent of Democrats.

According to the survey, Americans who believe Trump won the 2020 election are roughly four times as likely than those who don’t to agree that violence may be necessary “to save our country,” by a measure of 39 percent to 10 percent. Since he lost the election a year ago, Trump has spread false conspiracy theories claiming that the election was rigged and that President Biden’s win was illegitimate.

The findings also seem to demonstrate a clear correlation between people’s views and their preferred news sources. Among Republicans who trust Fox News above other outlets, 82 percent said they believe the election was stolen from Trump. Ninety-seven percent of those who rely mostly on far-right news sources like Newsmax and One America News (OAN) said the same, compared to less than half, 44 percent, of Republicans who trust mainstream news outlets.

“A large chunk of the Republican Party has been essentially radicalized,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Beirich said she thinks “a lot of responsibility lies with Republican leadership” for failing to push back on the former president’s election fraud claims and efforts to downplay the violence of Jan. 6.

But it's always been there - courtesy of Limbaugh and the Koch brothers:

[Progressive Jones]

17. I hope they're all prepared to die. nt

[Wingus Dingus]

20. Has this question ever been asked before?

[Kid Berwyn]

21. Why the traitors need to go on trial ASAFP.

Most all of their “support” would evaporate.

[Evolve Dammit]

30. this!

[keithbvadu2]

22. Violence done BY them of course... Not to them.

[Initech]

24. From what? Competent leadership?

I mean seriously can we just give them their own island in the South Pacific to ruin?

[Mr. Ected]

25. "To Save America" is code for "To Establish a Permanent Republican/fascist Regime"

Every person reading this is "the threat" that they would consider violence to silence.

There's no room for a second opinion with these Nazi wannabes.

[Nululu]

27. Push poll

Wording is ridiculous. "true American patriots"? Seriously a BS poll.

[BlueWavePsych]

31. MAGA Akbar!

[lambchopp59]

37. Complete with the yellow teeth and jaundiced eyes!

Artist got a little too accurate about that as well. 😑

[Mad_Machine76]

38. Violence? Save?

From what?!

[Aussie105]

39. Save the US?

Not my definition of 'save'.

More an anarchist approach, tear it all down and expect something to morph from the ruins more to your liking.

History says that approach never works.

[dlk]

40. Nothing irrational about thinking killing democracy will save it...

[Aussie105]

41. The logical fallacy a lot of people make is . . .

that in doing the rebuild after the destruction, that they will have a hand in the rebuild, and be able to guide it into a shape more to their liking.

They won't.

Feel like a powerless victim now? Destroy the system, and you will still be a powerless victim. With a lot more problems poured on top.

[dlk]

42. Wishful thinking from those not overly ground in reality...

[czarjak]

43. Don't Tread On Me v Fuck Your Feelings