More Americans Say Violence Against Government Can Be Justified

(Bloomberg) -- One in three Americans say violence against the government can at times be justified, a poll by the Washington Post and University of Maryland found, almost a year after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

The poll’s findings were detailed on Saturday in a Washington Post article, which said the share of respondents with that view was the highest in similar polls spanning two decades. 

The article said the percentage of adults who said violence could be justified had risen from 23% in 2015 and 16% in 2010 in polls by CBS News and the New York Times. 

The Post said that the share of people in the latest poll that said violence against the government was never justified was 62%. That compares with as many as 90% in polls in the 1990s, the article said. 

The poll also found partisan and racial divides: 40% of Republicans and 41% of independents said violence could be accepted, a view held by 23% of Democrats in the poll. While 40% of White Americans polled said violence could be justified, 18% of Black Americans expressed the view. 

The article noted that the poll was “largely conducted online,” where respondents may be more likely to express extreme views than when asked by a person. The margin of error was plus or minus four percentage points. 

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.