AEI Poll: Nearly 3 in 10 Say Political Violence May Be Necessary

The U.S. Capitol is seen as National Guard secure the the grounds on February 08, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

By    |   Thursday, 11 February 2021 08:08 AM EST ET

Twenty-nine percent of Americans say violence may be necessary if elected leaders do not take action to protect America, a new poll by the American Enterprise Institute reveals.

Here are how the poll results, conducted by the Survey Center on American Life, break down:

  • 39% of Republicans completely agreed or somewhat agreed with the following statement: “If elected leaders will not protect America, the people must do it themselves even if it requires taking violent actions.”
  • 31% of independents completely or somewhat agreed with it.
  • 17% of Democrats completely or somewhat agreed with it.
  • 65% of all those polled said Joe Biden’s presidential victory was legitimate, compared to 31% who said it was not..
  • 34% said they are “extremely proud” to be an American. 28% say they are “very proud.”
  • 48% believe former President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to break into the Capitol, compared to 36% who disagree. 14% say they are unsure.

AEI’s American Perspectives Survey, conducted Jan. 21-30, polled 2,016 people. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.7 percentage points

Jeffrey Rodack

Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.

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Twenty-nine percent of Americans say violence may be necessary if elected leaders do not take action to protect America, a new poll by the American Enterprise Institute reveals. Here are how the poll results, conducted by the Survey Center...
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