A majority of Americans blame artificial intelligence-generated misinformation and political leaders’ failure to condemn violent language from their supporters for the political violence in society, the Public Religion Research Institute found in a new survey.
Sixty-seven percent of Americans said politicians’ reticence to criticize violent rhetoric from their supporters “contributes a lot to violent actions in society,” while 64 percent blame false or misleading information generated by AI that spreads on social media, the survey released Friday showed. Sixty-one percent said public displays of hate — such as Nazi symbols — play a role. Roughly half blame violent rhetoric itself, and an equal share blame easy access to guns.
“This is telling us that Americans would like political leaders to step up and to condemn violence when it’s happening,” said Melissa Deckman, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute.
The percentage of respondents who blamed AI for political violence is also a “real signal that Americans are very concerned about what AI can do,” Deckman said. She added that it’s clear to her that “Americans have really begun to pay attention to AI as potentially something that is provoking a lot of harm in society.”
The institute has periodically surveyed Americans on their opinions on what drives violence and whether political violence is ever justified. The share of Americans who believe that harsh and violent language in politics contributes to violence in society has increased since 2019, it has found — particularly among Republicans.
“All of this is, to me, is an indication that Americans think the tone of politics is contributing to potential violence in society,” she said. “And I think most Americans really are pretty strongly feeling that.”
Political violence in the United States has been rising for several years. Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and the violence led to five deaths. President Donald Trump faced two apparent assassination attempts during his 2024 campaign. And last year, Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman (D) and conservative activist Charlie Kirk were killed, while the house of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) was set ablaze.
And while violent attacks against both Democrats and Republicans made national headlines last year, the nature of domestic terrorism has shifted. From last January through late September, incidents of left-wing terrorism in the U.S. outnumbered those involving the far right for the first time in 30 years, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute used online interviews to poll roughly 5,550 adults across the U.S. between Nov. 21 and Dec. 8. The margin of error was plus or minus 1.58 percentage points.
Most Americans, across party lines and religions, do not support violent or hostile acts — such as assaulting, doxing or killing an opponent — to achieve political goals. But when it comes to deciding who is responsible for political violence, “the partisan differences could not be starker,” Deckman said. A majority of Democrats and Republicans blame each other, while independents are 10 percentage points more likely to say right-wing groups are responsible than left-wing groups.
The poll found generational differences in Americans’ opinions about whether violence by people who share their political beliefs justifies political outcomes. Strong majorities of respondents over age 50 said they completely disagree that violent actions, such as killing a political opponent or posting their private information, is ever justified. A smaller majority of people under age 30 share that opposition, echoing a November pollconducted by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. In that poll, nearly 40 percent of 18-29 year-olds surveyed believe political violence is acceptable under certain circumstances.
Christians are also split on the issue. Half of Christians of color attribute most political violence to right-wing groups, while 54 percent of White Christians place that responsibility on left-wing groups, the survey found. That demographic split is not necessarily surprising, Deckman said, as White Christians make up a majority of the Republican Party but roughly 23 percent of the Democratic Party.
Deckman also noted that over the years, the majority of respondents to her group’s surveys have viewed protesters as making the U.S. better. Sixty-eight percent of Americans agree that “when Americans speak up and protest unfair treatment by the government, it always makes our country better,” according to the latest survey — a share has increased since the question was first asked in 2015.
Tensions have flared in Minneapolis this week between protesters and federal agents, and Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to quell the demonstrations.
“Not only is the right to profess protest constitutionally protected, but it’s broadly supported by most Americans,” Deckman said.
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