Four in five Americans fear country is sliding into chaos, Reuters/Ipsos
poll finds
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[July 17, 2024]
By Jason Lange
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Americans fear their country is spiraling out of
control following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump, with worries
growing that the Nov. 5 election could spark more political violence, a
Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Tuesday found.
The two-day poll found Republican presidential candidate Trump opening a
marginal lead among registered voters - 43% to 41% - over Democratic
U.S. President Joe Biden, an advantage that was within the poll's 3
percentage point margin of error, suggesting the attempt on Trump's life
had not sparked a major shift in voter sentiment.
But 80% of voters - including similar shares of Democrats and
Republicans - said they agreed with a statement that "the country is
spiraling out of the control." The poll, which was conducted online,
surveyed 1,202 U.S. adults nationwide, including 992 registered voters.
Trump narrowly avoided death on Saturday when a would-be assassin's
bullet grazed his ear as he spoke at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Blood trickled across his face and he defiantly pumped his fist in the
air, mouthing the words "Fight! Fight! Fight!" as he was rushed
offstage. A rally attendee was slain and two others seriously injured.
The shooting brought back memories of turbulent political periods such
as the 1960s, when Democratic President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
in 1963, followed by the killing of Democratic presidential candidate
Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
Some 84% of voters in the poll said they were concerned that extremists
will commit acts of violence after the election, an increase from the
results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in May that showed 74% of
voters having that fear.
Fears of political violence became more prominent in America after
thousands of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,
in a bid to overturn Trump's election loss to Biden. Four people died on
the day of the attack, and one Capitol Police officer who fought against
the rioters died the next day.
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A flag hung over the stage waves in the wind at the event grounds
where the rally was held, during the law enforcement investigation
into gunfire at a campaign rally of Republican presidential
candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Butler,
Pennsylvania, U.S. July 15, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
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While Americans said they feared violence, few condoned it. Just 5%
of respondents said it was acceptable for someone in their political
party to commit violence to achieve a political goal, down from 12%
in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from June 2023.
Some 67% of respondents in the latest poll said they were concerned
about acts of violence against their community because of their
political beliefs, compared to 60% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from June
2023. Bipartisan majorities in the latest poll said they were
concerned Americans could resort to violence instead of coming
together peacefully to solve disagreements.
The attempt on Trump's life has dominated media headlines and fueled
discussion among some of his conservative Christian supporters that
he was protected by God.
In the Reuters/Ipsos poll, 65% of registered Republicans said
Trump's survival showed he was "favored by divine providence or
God's will." Eleven percent of Democrats agreed.
The United States stands out among rich nations for its embrace of
religion, with evangelical Christians largely aligned with the
Republican Party in recent decades. Some 77% of Americans surveyed
in 2022 said they believed in God, compared to 56% of Canadians and
39% of British respondents, according to a poll by the Gallup
International Association.
(Reporting by Jason Lange; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa
Babington)
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