Poll Most Feel Democracy Is Threatened And Political Violence Is A

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption Ahead of the July Fourth holiday and the country's 249th birthday, three-quarters of Americans say democracy is under serious threat, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. Nearly three-quarters also see politically motivated violence as a major problem. The findings come at a time of great political volatility.

In the midst of Donald Trump's second term as president, the country is polarized and sharply divided. The U.S. is grappling with what it means to be American, who is essential to its story, who belongs, who doesn't and which direction the country should take — all while Americans are expressing very little... Americans across the political spectrum believe democracy is under threat as partisan divisions deepen and politically motivated threats and attacks mount, a new poll found. Around three-quarters of Americans feel that U.S. divisiveness poses a “serious threat to democracy,” according to the NPR/PBS News/Marist poll released on Tuesday.

The survey, conducted from June 23 to 25 in the wake of U.S. airstrikes on Iran and the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, found that 89% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 57% of Republicans believe the future of democracy is threatened. The recent shootings may have been fresh in respondents’ minds: 73% called politically motivated violence a major problem in the U.S., compared to the 23% that called it a minor problem. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were tragically killed in the attacks on June 14. Democratic state Sen.

John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot multiple times and hospitalized. More than two thirds of Americans say they believe democracy in the United States is under serious threat as the country remains divided over polarizing issues, while another 73% believe politically-motivated violence in the... The poll, which surveyed more than 1,300 adults in late June, says 76% of Americans believe the issues dividing the nation pose a serious threat to democracy. Democrats and independents felt the most strongly about the risk to democracy (89% and 80% said they were worried, respectively), while only 57% of Republicans shared their concern. Additionally, 73% of respondents said they think politically-motivated violence is a major problem in the United States, with Democrats (75%) and Independents (79%) again more concerned than Republicans (69%). The NPR/PBS News/Marist poll also asked Americans about recent U.S.

airstrikes on nuclear facilities in Iran and President Donald Trump's deportation policies, which have led to a spike in detentions of non-criminal immigrants to the country. WASHINGTON, D.C. — While most Americans say it is “never OK” to use violence to achieve a political goal, 16% say it is “sometimes OK.” Age is the strongest predictor of attitudes toward political violence, with young adults aged 18 to 29 more likely than other age groups to say that it is sometimes OK to use violence to... This attitude is also more prevalent among heavy social media users than those who use social media less frequently or not at all and among men more so than women. Differences in views by political affiliation and educational attainment are smaller, and no differences are observed based on income or other socioeconomic factors.

These results are from the inaugural administration of the Kettering Foundation/Gallup Democracy for All Project, a five-year project designed to measure Americans’ views of democracy. Data are based on a multimodal (web and mail) survey of over 20,000 U.S. adults, conducted July 7 to Aug. 25. Some attitudes toward democracy are associated with views on the use of political violence. People who agree that democracy is the best form of government are less likely than those who disagree to say political violence is sometimes OK.

Perceptions of others’ commitment to democracy also matter. Americans who agree that most people in the U.S. are committed to having a strong democracy are less likely to say political violence is sometimes OK, compared with those who disagree with this statement. July 1, 2025 Trump Administration, Trump Lies Ahead of the July Fourth holiday and the country’s 249th birthday, three-quarters of Americans say democracy is under serious threat, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. Nearly three-quarters also see politically motivated violence as a major problem.

The findings come at a time of great political volatility. In the midst of Donald Trump’s second term as president, the country is polarized and sharply divided. The overwhelming majority of respondents — 76% — said democracy is under serious threat. That’s statistically unchanged from April of this year, but down significantly from August of 2023 when 87% overall said there was a serious threat to democracy. Republicans are largely responsible for the decline, going from 88% saying there was a serious threat — while Democrat Joe Biden was president — to 57% now. Most feel democracy is threatened, political violence a major problem

76% of Americans think that democracy is under serious threat, according to latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. And their faith in political leadership in White House and Congress is low. https://t.co/kc67PAaUnG pic.twitter.com/AoJ8U3DgMX Nearly a third of Americans – 30% – say people may have to resort to violence in order to get the country back on track, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. It’s a sharp rise from 18 months ago, when 19% of Americans said the same. READ MORE: Are Democrats or Republicans to blame for the looming government shutdown?

Here’s what our poll found The belief that violence may be the answer has grown among Republicans and independents – up 3 and 7 percentage points, respectively, since April last year. But the largest increase has been among Democrats. Now 28% of Democrats share that view, up 16 points. Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Tone & Political Bias: Moderately Center-Leaning

Why: The article presents the facts and figures without strong ideological bias but reflects on the significant divide between political parties and opinions on key issues. A recent NPR/PBS News/Marist poll reveals that a significant majority of Americans believe democracy is facing a serious threat. According to the survey, 76% of respondents feel that democracy in the United States is under imminent danger, which remains unchanged from April but shows a decrease from last August, when 87% of Americans... There has been a notable shift in the perception of democracy's threat based on political affiliation. The percentage of Republicans who view democracy as being under threat has dropped significantly from 88% in April 2023 to 57% in June 2025, likely influenced by the political environment under President Joe Biden's... Meanwhile, 89% of Democrats and 80% of Independents still see democracy as under serious threat.

The concerns around democracy are broad, but the reasons behind these perceptions differ across political lines. As we prepare to celebrate our nation's 249th birthday, 76% of Americans say democracy is under serious threat, according to a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. The poll comes as the Trump administration continues to defy Congress and the courts, expanding presidential power more than any administration in American history. Regarding the question of whether there is a serious threat to the future of democracy, 89% of Democrats, 80% of independents, and 57% of Republicans responded affirmatively. The question showed almost no variation across racial demographics and was nearly identical when measured by those over 45 years of age and those under. In terms of gender, women with a college degree were the most likely to respond yes, while men without a college degree were the least likely.

In the same poll, nearly as many Americans (73%) thought that political violence had reached dangerous levels. While age once again did not play much of a factor, racial minorities were 10% more likely to answer yes. Confidence in political leadership was also low, with Trump scoring an overall approval rating of 43%, with the lowest areas being the economy (39%) and foreign policy (41%). Immigration was highest at just 43%. While Trump's approval rating remained sky-high with Republicans (86%), it plummeted among independents (33%) and was just 12% among Democrats. Congressional approval was also low, with Democrats scoring a paltry 27% overall and reaching just 44% within their party.

Republicans' overall approval rating in Congress hit an all-time high of 35%, but that was before the deeply unpopular budget bill passed the Senate. Commissioner Tal Siddique to Serve as BOCC Chairman in 2026 In the wake of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, 79 percent of voters say the United States is in a political crisis, while 18 percent say it is not, according to a... Democrats (93 - 6 percent), independents (84 - 14 percent), and Republicans (60 - 35 percent) say the United States is in a political crisis. Seventy-one percent of voters think politically motivated violence in the United States today is a very serious problem, 22 percent think it is a somewhat serious problem, 3 percent think it is a not... This is a jump from Quinnipiac University's June 26 poll when 54 percent thought politically motivated violence in the United States today was a very serious problem, 37 percent thought it was a somewhat...

Nearly 6 in 10 voters (58 percent) think it will not be possible to lower the temperature on political rhetoric and speech in the United States, while 34 percent think it will be possible.

People Also Search

• Poll: Most feel democracy is threatened and political violence is a ...
• Most Americans Say Democracy Is Threatened as Political Violence Rises ...
• Majority Of Americans Say Political Violence Now A 'Major ... - Forbes
• Youth, Loneliness and Political Violence in the U.S.
• POLL: 76% Say Democracy Is Under "Serious Threat"
• There's a growing number of Americans who think violence might be ...
• POLITICO Poll: Americans are bracing for more political violence to ...
• Poll: Majority of Americans Believe Democracy is Under Threat and ...
• Poll: Most Feel American Democracy is Under Threat
• Nearly 8 In 10 Voters Say The United States Is In A Political Crisis ...