In the autumn of a year scarred by assassinations of lawmakers and a political activist, a new Associated Press-NORC poll reveals that Americans do not carry their fears of political violence and threats to free speech in equal measure. Those who have lived longest, who remember earlier eras of street unrest, feel the danger most sharply, while the young are less alarmed yet not reassured about the health of open expression. Each party looks mainly at the harm done to its own side, and that selective vision may determine how the next act of violence is understood.
Younger Americans Less Worried About Political Violence and Free Speech Threats, AP-NORC Poll Finds
Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot to death in their Minnesota home in June, and Charlie Kirk was shot dead in September while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Each side mostly fears violence against its own
Mark
The headline says younger people are less worried. Is that the main thing here?
Mimi
It's the sharpest split. About half of people 60 and older are highly concerned about political violence, and about 3 in 10 under 30 are.
Mark
Does that mean young people think everything is fine?
Mimi
No. About half of adults see a major threat to free speech, and age makes no difference there.
Luke
Worth being careful, though. The poll shows young adults are less personally concerned. It doesn't tell us why.
Mark
Tony DiGiovine brought up Kent State. Is that the explanation?
Mimi
It's his own reference point, and he's 74. It shows how memory shapes worry, but it's one voice.
Luke
Right. Max Anderson offers a theory about young people feeling extreme options look better, but that's one 23-year-old's view, not a finding.
Mark
And the partisan side?
Mimi
Each party mostly worries about violence against its own side. About 6 in 10 Republicans for conservatives, 27% for liberals; about 6 in 10 Democrats for liberals, 38% for conservatives.
Luke
Also, 1,289 adults with a 3.8-point margin means the subgroup numbers, like those under 30, are looser than the overall figures.
O Pulso
- Roughly half of Americans 60 and older are highly alarmed about political violence, while fewer than one in three under 30 share that alarm.
- Killings this year, including the shootings of Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and of activist Charlie Kirk, have pushed the question of political violence into everyday conversation.
- Republicans fear violence aimed at conservatives, Democrats fear violence aimed at liberals, and the gap between those fears is widening the distance between the parties.
- Yet about half of all adults say free speech faces a major threat, with no age divide on that belief, suggesting unease that runs deeper than any single incident.
- Independents are largely unmoved in either direction, leaving the public's most urgent worries concentrated among partisans who see the other side as the source of danger.
In the autumn of a year scarred by assassinations of lawmakers and a political activist, a new Associated Press-NORC poll reveals that Americans do not carry their fears of political violence and threats to free speech in equal measure. Those who have lived longest, who remember earlier eras of street unrest, feel the danger most sharply, while the young are less alarmed yet not reassured about the health of open expression. Each party looks mainly at the harm done to its own side, and that selective vision may determine how the next act of violence is understood.
Ryan Striker, a 34-year-old music teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, worries about political violence because he has seen how quickly it can snowball. He is a liberal independent who opposes President Donald Trump, and his concern is widely shared, though not evenly. A new Associated Press-NORC poll shows how unevenly it is felt.
The survey follows a painful year. In June, Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot to death in their home, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. In September, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking at Utah Valley University. Authorities described both as political violence.
Across the country, 44% of adults are highly concerned about violence aimed at conservatives and 41% about violence aimed at liberals. Age changes the picture. About half of adults 60 and older are highly worried, compared with about 3 in 10 under 30. Tony DiGiovine, a 74-year-old Democrat in Phoenix, remembers Kent State in 1970, when National Guard troops killed students protesting the Vietnam War. He believes American streets are not a place for armed forces, and that something will go wrong.
Free speech follows a similar pattern of age, but not of certainty. About half of all adults say free speech faces a major threat, and young people agree at the same rate. They believe speech is under pressure but are less personally troubled by how it affects one side or the other. Party lines run deep: about 6 in 10 Republicans fear violence against conservatives, and about 6 in 10 Democrats fear violence against liberals. Independents are far less worried in either direction.
Jeff Milligan, a 72-year-old Republican from Logan, Ohio, once worried more about threats to fundamental rights. Asked what changed, he said simply, "President Trump was elected." Max Anderson, a 23-year-old liberal independent in Fort Collins, Colorado, sees danger coming from every direction, and he thinks many people his age are struggling enough that extreme action may start to look like a reasonable choice. Craig Tenhoff, a 58-year-old independent in Simi Valley, California, feels the loss of conversation and compromise most keenly, and the habit of vilifying opponents worries him most of all.
Ryan Striker, a 34-year-old music teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, says he worries about political violence because it can snowball. He is liberal, politically independent, and opposed to President Donald Trump. His concern is common, but it is not evenly spread across the country, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll arrives after a year marked by killings. In June, Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot to death in their home, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. The Justice Department described the attack as the shooter's calculated plan to inflict fear and violence on Minnesota elected officials and their families. In September, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University, which authorities also called political violence.
Overall, 44% of U.S. adults say they are extremely or very concerned about political violence aimed at conservative figures or organizations, and 41% say the same about violence aimed at liberal figures and groups. Age changes the picture sharply. About half of adults 60 and older are highly concerned about violence in either direction, compared with about 3 in 10 adults under 30.
Tony DiGiovine, a 74-year-old Democrat, retired electrical engineer and musician in Phoenix, draws on memory. "I remember Kent State. I was around then," he said, adding that the National Guard and armed forces are not trained to patrol American streets and that something is going to go wrong. National Guard troops shot and killed unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State in 1970.
The generational pattern repeats on free speech. About 4 in 10 adults overall are highly concerned about threats to the speech of conservatives or liberals. Among those 60 and older, about half are highly concerned about conservatives' speech, versus roughly one-quarter of those under 30. The gap is smaller, but still substantial, for liberals.
Yet young people do not see speech as safe. About half of all adults say freedom of speech faces a major threat, and there is no age divide on that. The poll suggests younger adults believe speech is threatened but are less personally worried about how it affects liberals or conservatives. Roughly 4 in 10 adults say the press faces a major threat, and about 3 in 10 say so of the right to vote and the right to bear arms. On voting, the age gap returns: about 2 in 10 under 30 see a major threat, against about 4 in 10 of those 60 and older.
Party matters as well. About 6 in 10 Republicans are highly concerned about violence against conservatives, but only 27% are about violence against liberals. About 6 in 10 Democrats are highly concerned about violence against liberals, while 38% are about violence against conservatives. The split is sharpest among conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. Only about one-quarter of independents are highly concerned in either direction.
The partisan gap is wider on rights. About two-thirds of Democrats say free speech and a free press face a major threat, while about 3 in 10 Republicans say so of speech and about 2 in 10 of the press. Jeff Milligan, a 72-year-old Republican from Logan, Ohio, said he used to worry more about threats to fundamental rights. What changed? "President Trump was elected," he said.
Max Anderson, a 23-year-old college student in Fort Collins, Colorado, who is a liberal independent, worries about violence from across the spectrum. Many people his age are not doing well, he said, and extreme avenues of action may suddenly feel like a better option. Craig Tenhoff, a 58-year-old independent in Simi Valley, California, said it is concerning that people stop talking and compromising and vilify opponents.
The poll surveyed 1,289 adults from Oct. 9 to 13 using NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Citações Notáveis
I remember Kent State. I was around then.— Tony DiGiovine, 74, Phoenix Democrat
Those more extreme avenues of action just feel like a better option.— Max Anderson, 23, Fort Collins college student
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