Alarming Poll Reveals: Members of Both Parties Question Democracy, Favor Violence
A significant percentage of Americans from both parties say they favor violence to stop the political opposition and that democracy is so broken that the nation should “explore alternative forms of government,” according to a new survey.
The poll of more than 2,000 adults by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia found that 41 percent of Biden supporters and 38 percent of Trump supporters agree that members of the other party “have become so extreme in what they want that it is acceptable to use violence to stop them from achieving their goals.”
Similarly, 21 percent of Biden supporters and 31 percent of Trump supporters say they believe the “ends justify the means” and that “any action taken by my preferred political party is acceptable if it achieves our goals.”
The distrust in the other party is so high that many in the U.S. want to end the American experiment. A total of 24 percent of Biden supporters and 31 percent of Trump supporters agree with the statement that “democracy is no longer a viable system, and America should explore alternative forms of government to ensure stability and progress.”
A poll analysis noted that “a stunning number of Americans” endorse “policies that could challenge the U.S. Constitution.”
Meanwhile, 30 percent of Biden supporters favor blue states succeeding from the U.S., while 41 percent of Trump supporters back red states succeeding.
Just over half (52 percent) of Biden voters view individuals who “strongly support” the Republican party as a threat to the American way of life. Among Trump voters, 47 percent view individuals who “strongly support” the Democratic party that way.
“We stand on the precipice of a developing emergency,” said Larry J. Sabato, director of the Center for Politics. “Dislike of the other side combined with a pervasive disregard for the fundamental freedoms contained in the U.S. Constitution poses a grave threat. If these sentiments go unchecked and grow, our nation could face disastrous division.”
Photo Courtesy: Unsplash/Rene Deanda
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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