Overview

• Gen Z registered 20% support for political violence being sometimes justified, compared with 14% of millennials, 8% of Gen X, and 3% of those 65 and older.
• The YouGov study surveyed 2,643 U.S. adults on Sept. 11, one day after the Utah Valley University shooting that killed Charlie Kirk.
• The findings arrive as investigators track a year of high-profile attacks, including two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump and the fatal shootings of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and Kirk.
• Authorities say several suspects have been young men in their 20s; Luigi Mangione was arrested in Thompson’s killing and investigators report he possessed a manifesto criticizing insurers, which he denies being involved in the shooting.
• Debate over causes is intensifying as analysts cite social media and economic stress, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox says platforms have played a direct role, and Democrats counter GOP accusations by noting data that most extremist killings are carried out by far-right actors.