In the weeks after a year scarred by assassinations, a new AP-NORC survey shows that Americans share a common unease about political violence but hold it in sharply different measures. Older adults, who remember more of the country's turbulent past, carry far more dread than the young, and each party sees danger mainly to its own side. The poll, taken in mid-October, offers a portrait of a nation still deciding whose fears count, and whether a shared sense of threat can yet become a shared sense of responsibility.
Younger Americans Less Worried About Political Violence, Free Speech Threats, AP-NORC Poll Finds
Political violence in 2025 included the June shooting deaths of Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, the wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, and the September killing of activist Charlie Kirk.
Younger adults see the threat to speech, but worry less about who it hits
Mark
What's the headline here? Is it that people are scared, or that they're scared differently?
Mimi
Differently. Overall, 44% are highly concerned about violence against conservatives and 41% about violence against liberals. But about half of people 60 and older are highly concerned, against about 3 in 10 under 30.
Mark
Why would older people be more worried?
Mimi
DiGiovine, who's 74, pointed to Kent State, which he remembers. That's one person's explanation, though.
Luke
Right, and the poll doesn't test why. It measures the gap, not the cause. Memory of the 1970s is a plausible reading from one respondent, not a finding.
Mark
Younger adults aren't dismissing free speech threats, are they?
Mimi
No. About half of all adults see a major threat to free speech, with no age divide. They just worry less about how it affects liberals or conservatives specifically.
Luke
That's the poll's interpretation of the pattern. It's reasonable, but it's an inference from the numbers, not something respondents were asked directly.
Mark
And the partisan picture?
Mimi
About 6 in 10 Republicans worry about violence against conservatives, 27% about liberals. Democrats mirror it: about 6 in 10 and 38%. Two-thirds of Democrats see a major threat to speech and press, versus about 3 in 10 and 2 in 10 of Republicans.
Luke
And keep the sample in mind: 1,289 adults, a 3.8-point margin overall. Subgroups like adults under 30 carry larger uncertainty, and the story doesn't give those margins.
Der Puls
- Nearly half of adults are highly worried about political violence, yet the worry splits along lines of age and party rather than settling into a common alarm.
- Older Americans, with roughly half highly concerned, stand in sharp contrast to under-30s, where only about 3 in 10 feel the same weight of dread.
- Republicans and Democrats each fear violence most against their own side, with the gap widest at the ideological edges of both parties.
- Trust in free speech and the right to vote is fracturing, with Democrats far likelier to see a major threat to speech and press, and the question of who is in danger remains unresolved.
In the weeks after a year scarred by assassinations, a new AP-NORC survey shows that Americans share a common unease about political violence but hold it in sharply different measures. Older adults, who remember more of the country's turbulent past, carry far more dread than the young, and each party sees danger mainly to its own side. The poll, taken in mid-October, offers a portrait of a nation still deciding whose fears count, and whether a shared sense of threat can yet become a shared sense of responsibility.
A new AP-NORC poll, taken October 9 to 13, finds Americans anxious about political violence, but not equally so. The sharpest divide is generational: adults 60 and older are far more worried than those under 30. The survey follows a year of violence, including the June killings of Minnesota state lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, the wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, and the September shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Overall, 44% of adults are highly concerned about political violence against conservatives, and 41% say the same about violence against liberals. Among older adults about half worry in either direction, while among those under 30 it is about 3 in 10. Tony DiGiovine, a 74-year-old retired engineer in Phoenix, remembers Kent State in 1970, when National Guard troops killed students protesting the Vietnam War. "Something's going to go wrong," he said. Ryan Striker, a 34-year-old music teacher in New Hampshire, worries because political violence can snowball.
Party matters as much as age. About 6 in 10 Republicans fear violence against conservatives, while only 27% fear it against liberals. Democrats show the mirror image. Independents are largely unmoved in either direction. Freedom of speech and the press also split by party: about two-thirds of Democrats see a major threat to speech, compared with about 3 in 10 Republicans. Jeff Milligan, a 72-year-old Republican from Ohio, once worried more about threats to rights, but he says now, "President Trump was elected."
The poll surveyed 1,289 adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 points. Its message is less about which side is in danger than about how deeply each side now believes the other is the threat.
A new AP-NORC poll, conducted October 9 to 13, finds that the American public is anxious about political violence, but not evenly so. The sharpest line runs between generations: adults 60 and older are far more worried than adults under 30. The survey comes after a year marked by assassinations. 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. Another 41% say the same about violence aimed at liberal figures and groups. Among those 60 and older, about half are highly concerned about violence in either direction. Among those under 30, it is about 3 in 10.
Tony DiGiovine, a 74-year-old retired electrical engineer and musician in Phoenix, a Democrat, said his worry comes from memory. He recalled Kent State, where in 1970 the National Guard shot and killed unarmed students protesting the Vietnam War. The Guard, he said, is not trained to patrol streets, and neither are the armed forces. "Something's going to go wrong," he said. Ryan Striker, a 34-year-old music teacher in Manchester, New Hampshire, who is liberal, politically independent and opposes President Trump, said he worries because political violence can snowball.
A similar age pattern appears on concern over limits to speech. About 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 conservatives' speech, versus roughly a quarter of those under 30. The gap is smaller but still substantial for liberals.
On the broader question of fundamental rights, the generations agree more than that suggests. About half of adults see a major threat to freedom of speech, and about 4 in 10 say so of freedom of the press. About 3 in 10 see major threats to the right to vote and the right to keep and bear arms. There was no age divide on free speech, which suggests younger adults do think it is threatened but are less personally concerned about how that affects liberals or conservatives. Voting is different: only about 2 in 10 under 30 see a major threat to it, compared with about 4 in 10 of those 60 and older. Craig Tenhoff, a 58-year-old independent in Simi Valley, California, said it is concerning that people seem to be reaching the point of no longer talking or compromising and instead vilifying opponents.
Party matters as much as age. About 6 in 10 Republicans are highly concerned about violence against conservatives, but only 27% feel that way about violence against liberals. About 6 in 10 Democrats are highly concerned about violence against liberals, while 38% are about violence against conservatives. The effect is strongest at the ideological edges: conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are much likelier than moderates in their parties to worry about their own side. Only about a quarter of independents are highly concerned in either direction.
Max Anderson, a 23-year-old college student in Fort Collins, Colorado, who is an independent and describes himself as liberal, worries about violence from across the spectrum. He said many people his age are not doing well, and that extreme avenues of action can suddenly feel like a better option.
The partisan split on rights is wide. About two-thirds of Democrats say freedom of speech and freedom of the press face a major threat. Among Republicans, about 3 in 10 say that of speech and about 2 in 10 of the press. Jeff Milligan, a 72-year-old Republican from Logan, Ohio, is more concerned about violence against conservatives than liberals, and he once worried more about threats to rights than he does now. Asked what changed, he said, "President Trump was elected."
The poll surveyed 1,289 adults from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for adults overall. A correction to the original story clarified that one Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota was killed, not several.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I remember Kent State. I was around then. Something's going to go wrong.— Tony DiGiovine, 74, Phoenix Democrat
A lot of people my age aren't generally doing good right now, so extreme avenues of action just feel like a better option.— Max Anderson, 23, Fort Collins, Colorado (paraphrased)
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei WDIV ClickOnDetroit ↗
Science & Space