The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for July 15, 2024
Today’s Script
(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)
You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.
The attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life came as a shock to many Americans. But as violent rhetoric and actions have increased in recent election cycles, multiple polls confirm that a disturbing number of Americans accept political violence as a means of solving the country’s problems.
We reported last year on a PRRI/Brookings poll that found a substantial increase in Americans who thought that violence may be needed, to QUOTE “save our country.”
Most Americans don’t support violent action, but 23% of Americans agreed with the statement, “Because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country. That’s up 8% from 2021, and includes 33% of Republicans, 22% of independents, and 13% of Democrats.
Another study by the University of California – Davis found that among participants who considered political violence to be at least sometimes justified to achieve a specific objective, 12.2% were willing to commit political violence “to threaten or intimidate a person,” 10.4% “to injure a person,” and 7.1% “to kill a person.”
A paper by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace suggests that while polarization doesn’t typically mobilize voters to political violence, it creates an environment where followers with extreme personalities may commit hate crimes, intimidation or other types of violence.
We have these studies linked at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.
Today’s Links
Articles & Resources:
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings – Survey Summary: Threats to American Democracy Ahead of an Unprecedented Presidential Election
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings – Slide Deck Presentation: Threats to American Democracy Ahead of an Unprecedented Presidential Election
Public Religion Research Institute/Brookings – Webinar: What do Americans think about the health of our democracy and the upcoming presidential election?
University of California – Davis Health – Survey finds alarming trend toward political violence
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Polarization, Democracy, and Political Violence in the United States: What the Research Says
Journal of Democracy – The Rise of Political Violence in the United States
Reuters – Political violence in polarized U.S. at its worst since 1970s
Groups Taking Action:
Southern Poverty Law Center, Protect Democracy, Bridging Divides Initiative
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