Another Major Violence Poll

Different results from the UC Davis poll last week, but perhaps more worrisome ones.
Two-thirds of Republicans and independents say the government is “corrupt and rigged against everyday people like me,” according to the poll, compared to 51 percent of liberal voters.

Twenty-eight percent of all voters, including 37 percent of gun owners, agreed “it may be necessary at some point soon for citizens to take up arms against the government,” a view held by around 35 percent of Republicans and around 35 percent of Independents. One in five Democrats concurred.

The Davis poll asked mostly if people thought other people might start a war; this one asked if you thought it might be necessary to fight one. They only got about half as many 'yes' answers, but those are answers to a much more pointed question.

It's bad news, too, when a majority of the group in power thinks the system is corrupt and rigged against them. It is, of course, which is why the number is so high; but that represents a dangerously high degree of self-awareness against partisan interest. 

7 comments:

J Melcher said...

"... at some point ..."

I despise the polling organizations and the media that amplifies their findings. Yes, given the past three centuries there is likely to be a similar point in the future at which one faction of people will take up arms against another faction.

Will that point arise in three years? Thirty? Another 300? Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. But yes, at SOME point in time it MAY be necessary...

On the other hand, it may be likely the US uses the armed forces to liberate the impoverished and oppressed peoples of Alberta, the Yukon, and the province-formerly-known-as-"British Columbia"* from their tyrannical government in the east. Who knows? That point may come.

*Named for a Empire and a Conquistador? No chance that label will persist...

Tom said...

I feel like the word "soon" was kinda important in their phrasing.

I think, though of course can't be sure, that the Republicans and Democrats who thought the system was rigged against them would give different answers to the questions "how" and "by whom". IOW, I'm not sure the liberal voters were showing self-awareness. But maybe so. I dunno.

J Melcher said...

I saw that word "soon" in the media headline. I didn't see it in the poll itself.

I retract and apologize.

Assistant Village Idiot said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Assistant Village Idiot said...

Two things: One, I would like to see the demographics of who thinks that "other people" might increase their violence and what should be done about it. I have gone on at tiresome length over the last 17 years that liberals tend to go on offense and be agressive, while conservatives tend to play defense. those conservatives are often quite noisy about their willingness to play defense, but it's not the same thing. And I think racial groups will answer the "there might need to be violence" questions differently, and mean different things.

Also, I had a go at that UC Davis study you mentioned last week, over at my own site. https://assistantvillageidiot.blogspot.com/2022/07/theres-your-first-problem-right-there.html

prairie gopher said...

and what percentage of the population took part in the war of independence?

Grim said...

A larger one, it turns out, that we long thought.

https://observer.com/2017/07/soldiers-militia-american-revolution/