Overview
- Gallup reports 69% say Republicans have gone too far with inflammatory language and 60% say the same of Democrats, up 16 and 9 points respectively since 2011.
- Partisans overwhelmingly blame the opposing side—94% of Democrats fault Republicans and 93% of Republicans fault Democrats—while few see their own side as crossing the line.
- Respondents assign the most blame for political violence to online extremism at 71%, followed by rhetoric from politicians and commentators at about 64%, with 52% citing mental health system failures and 45% citing easy access to guns.
- The survey was conducted Oct. 1–16 and was published Dec. 3–4, coming weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed during a September event at Utah Valley University.
- Separate polling shows many expect political violence to rise, and a media scholar points to polarized media ecosystems, primary-driven incentives, and noncompetitive districts as forces encouraging harsher rhetoric.