In a year when a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed in their home and a conservative activist was shot dead before a university audience, Americans have been asked how they are carrying that weight. An AP-NORC poll finds that roughly four in ten hold deep concern about political violence, but the burden falls unevenly across the lines of age and party. Older Americans and partisans tend to fear for their own side, while the young appear less anxious about what political violence means for them, even as many still believe free speech is under strain. The question now is whether thes
Younger Americans Less Worried About Political Violence and Free Speech Threats, AP-NORC Poll Finds
Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot to death at home in June, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded; Charlie Kirk was shot dead in September at Utah Valley University.
Younger adults call speech threatened, but worry less about who gets hurt
In a year when a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband were killed in their home and a conservative activist was shot dead before a university audience, Americans have been asked how they are carrying that weight. An AP-NORC poll finds that roughly four in ten hold deep concern about political violence, but the burden falls unevenly across the lines of age and party. Older Americans and partisans tend to fear for their own side, while the young appear less anxious about what political violence means for them, even as many still believe free speech is under strain. The question now is whether these divides will harden or soften as the country lives with its unease.
In June, Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot dead in their home, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were wounded. In September, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University. A new AP-NORC poll asks how Americans are absorbing a year like that, and the answer depends heavily on age and party.
About four in ten adults say they are highly concerned about political violence, with nearly equal shares worried about attacks on conservative and liberal figures. The sharpest divide is generational: about half of adults 60 and older are deeply worried, compared with roughly three in ten under 30. Retired engineer Tony DiGiovine, 74, remembers the 1970 Kent State shootings and warns that something is going to go wrong.
Partisanship shapes whose safety people fear. About six in ten Republicans worry most about violence against conservatives, and about six in ten Democrats worry most about violence against liberals. Independents are calmer overall. Rights are viewed through the same lens: about two-thirds of Democrats see a major threat to free speech, while far fewer Republicans do. Jeff Milligan, 72, a Republican from Ohio, said his concern has shifted since President Trump was elected.
Others voiced wider unease about a country where people stop talking, compromise and vilify opponents. Max Anderson, 23, a college student in Colorado, said many people his age are struggling and that extreme actions can start to seem like better options. Whether these generational and partisan gaps persist as the climate stays charged remains the open question.
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 speaking to an audience on the campus of Utah Valley University, which authorities also called an act of political violence. A new AP-NORC poll asks how Americans are absorbing a year like that, and the answer depends heavily on age and party.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they are extremely or very concerned about political violence. Specifically, 44% are highly concerned about violence aimed at conservative figures or organizations, and 41% about violence aimed at liberal figures and groups. The poll, conducted Oct. 9-13 by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, surveyed 1,289 adults from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
The sharpest split is generational. About half of adults 60 and older are highly concerned about political violence against conservatives or liberals, compared with about 3 in 10 adults under 30. Tony DiGiovine, a 74-year-old Democrat, retired electrical engineer and musician in Phoenix, reached back to 1970, when the National Guard shot and killed unarmed Vietnam War protesters at Kent State University. He remembers it. The Guard, he said, is not trained to patrol streets, and neither are the armed forces. In his words, something is going to go wrong.
Concern about free speech follows a similar pattern. Roughly 4 in 10 adults overall are highly concerned about threats to conservatives' or liberals' free speech. Among those 60 and older, about half are highly concerned about threats to conservatives' speech, versus about one-quarter of adults under 30. The gap for liberals is smaller but still substantial.
Yet young adults do not see the speech landscape as safer. About half of all U.S. adults say freedom of speech faces a major threat, and there is no age divide on that question. About 4 in 10 say the same of freedom of the press, and about 3 in 10 see major threats to the right to vote and the right to keep and bear arms. On voting, age does matter: only about 2 in 10 adults under 30 see a major threat, compared with about 4 in 10 of those 60 and older. The finding suggests younger adults think speech is under threat but are less personally worried about what that means for liberals or conservatives specifically.
Party shapes whose safety people worry about. About 6 in 10 Republicans are highly concerned about violence against conservative figures or organizations, while 27% feel that way about violence against liberal ones. About 6 in 10 Democrats are highly concerned about violence against liberals, and 38% about violence against conservatives. The pattern is strongest among conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. Independents are less worried overall, with about one-quarter highly concerned about violence in either direction.
Partisan gaps are also wide on rights. About two-thirds of Democrats say freedom of speech and freedom of the press face a major threat, while about 3 in 10 Republicans say that of speech and about 2 in 10 of the press. Jeff Milligan, a 72-year-old Republican from Logan, Ohio, said he is more concerned about violence against conservatives and used to worry more about threats to fundamental rights. Asked what changed, he answered: "President Trump was elected."
Others voiced wider unease. Ryan Striker, a 34-year-old music teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, who is liberal, independent and opposes Trump, worries that political violence can snowball. Craig Tenhoff, 58, an independent in Simi Valley, California, is troubled by a drift toward people no longer talking or compromising and vilifying opponents. Max Anderson, a 23-year-old liberal independent and college student in Fort Collins, Colorado, said many people his age are not doing well, and that extreme avenues of action can start to feel like better options. What to watch is whether these generational and partisan gaps hold as the climate stays charged.
Citations marquantes
I remember Kent State. I was around then.— Tony DiGiovine, 74, Phoenix
I think a lot of people my age aren't generally doing good right now.— Max Anderson, 23, Fort Collins, Colorado
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