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Table 6 Justification for political violence, in general and for 9 specific objectives

From: Single-year change in views of democracy and society and support for political violence in the USA: findings from a 2023 nationally representative survey

What do you think about the use of force or violence in the following situations?

2022 Respondents (n = 12,947)

2023 Respondents (n = 9385)

Mean Difference,* 2022–2023

Unweighted n

Weighted % (95% CI)

Mean score (95% CI)

Unweighted n

Weighted % (95% CI) Mean score (95% CI)

Unweighted n

Weighted % (95% CI) Mean score (95% CI)

In general…to advance an important political objective that you support

Never justified (1)

10,696

79.6 (78.6, 80.5)

7642

78.1 (76.9, 79.3)

9385

 − 1.7 (− 3.0, − 0.5)

Sometimes justified (2)

1966

17.1 (16.2, 18.0)

1560

18.9 (17.7, 20.0)

9385

1.9 (0.7, 3.2)

Usually or always justified (3)

246

2.9 (2.5, 3.4)

136

2.2 (1.7, 2.7)

9385

 − 0.6 (− 1.3, 0.0)

Non-response

39

0.4 (0.2, 0.5)

47

0.8 (0.5, 1.1)

9385

0.4 (0.2, 0.7)

Item score†

12,908

1.23 (1.22, 1.24)

9338

1.23 (1.22, 1.25)

9325

0.009 (− 0.007, 0.025)

Violence is usually or always justified to advance at least 1 political objective‡

4386

32.5 (31.5, 33.6)

2361

25.3 (24.1, 26.5)

9385

 − 6.8 (− 8.1, − 5.4)

To return Donald Trump to the presidency this year§

Never justified (1)

11,552

87.1 (86.3, 87.9)

8453

88.5 (87.5, 89.5)

9338

1.1 (0.1, 2.2)

Sometimes justified (2)

625

6.0 (5.4, 6.6)

375

4.9 (4.2, 5.6)

9338

 − 1.0 (− 1.9, − 0.1)

Usually or always justified (3)

616

5.3 (4.8, 5.8)

455

5.8 (5.1, 6.5)

9338

0.3 (− 0.6, 1.1)

Non-response

154

1.6 (1.3, 1.9)

55

0.8 (0.5, 1.1)

9338

 − 0.4 (− 0.8, − 0.1)

Item score†

12,793

1.17 (1.16, 1.18)

9283

1.17 (1.15, 1.18)

9211

 − 0.007 (− 0.023, 0.010)

To stop an election from being stolen§

Never justified (1)

9516

73.6 (72.6, 74.6)

7235

77.2 (76.0, 78.4)

9338

2.8 (1.5, 4.2)

Sometimes justified (2)

2219

16.7 (15.8, 17.5)

1388

14.8 (13.8, 15.8)

9338

 − 1.7 (− 3.0, − 0.5)

Usually or always justified (3)

1065

8.3 (7.7, 8.9)

663

7.3 (6.5, 8.0)

9338

 − 0.8 (− 1.7, 0.1)

Non-response

147

1.5 (1.2, 1.8)

52

0.8 (0.5, 1.1)

9338

 − 0.3 (− 0.7, 0.1)

Item score†

12,800

1.34 (1.32, 1.35)

9286

1.30 (1.28, 1.31)

9223

 − 0.035 (− 0.054, − 0.016)

To stop people who do not share my beliefs from voting§

Never justified (1)

12,178

91.6 (90.9, 92.3)

8852

91.7 (90.8, 92.6)

9338

0.0 (− 0.9, 0.9)

Sometimes justified (2)

428

4.7 (4.1, 5.2)

277

4.8 (4.1, 5.6)

9338

0.2 (− 0.6, 1.1)

Usually or always justified (3)

208

2.4 (2.0, 2.8)

159

2.7 (2.2, 3.2)

9338

0.1 (− 0.5, 0.7)

Non-response

133

1.4 (1.1, 1.7)

50

0.8 (0.5, 1.0)

9338

 − 0.3 (− 0.7, 0.0)

Item score†

12,814

1.10 (1.09, 1.11)

9288

1.10 (1.09, 1.12)

9227

0.004 (− 0.008, 0.017)

To prevent discrimination based on race or ethnicity§

Never justified (1)

8438

62.3 (61.2, 63.4)

6929

70.4 (69.1, 71.7)

9338

7.7 (6.1, 9.2)

Sometimes justified (2)

3388

27.1 (26.1, 28.1)

1750

20.3 (19.1, 21.4)

9338

 − 6.7 (− 8.2, − 5.2)

Usually or always justified (3)

974

9.0 (8.3, 9.7)

607

8.5 (7.6, 9.4)

9338

 − 0.6 (− 1.6, 0.5)

Non-response

147

1.5 (1.2, 1.8)

52

0.8 (0.5, 1.1)

9338

 − 0.4 (− 0.8, − 0.1)

Item score†

12,800

1.46 (1.44, 1.47)

9286

1.38 (1.36, 1.39)

9216

 − 0.081 (− 0.103, − 0.059)

To preserve an American way of life based on Western European traditions§

Never justified (1)

9329

74.2 (73.2, 75.1)

7267

79.2 (78.1, 80.3)

9338

4.8 (3.5, 6.1)

Sometimes justified (2)

2705

18.6 (17.8, 19.5)

1513

14.4 (13.4, 15.3)

9338

 − 4.1 (− 5.3, − 2.8)

Usually or always justified (3)

710

5.3 (4.8, 5.8)

483

5.5 (4.8, 6.2)

9338

 − 0.1 (− 0.9, 0.8)

Non-response

203

1.9 (1.6, 2.2)

75

1.0 (0.7, 1.3)

9338

 − 0.6 (− 1.0, − 0.2)

Item score†

12,744

1.30 (1.29, 1.31)

9263

1.26 (1.24, 1.27)

9159

 − 0.046 (− 0.064, − 0.029)

To preserve an American way of life I believe in§

Never justified (1)

6720

55.7 (54.6, 56.8)

6241

69.8 (68.6, 71.1)

9338

13.2 (11.7, 14.6)

Sometimes justified (2)

4449

31.6 (30.5, 32.6)

2221

20.9 (19.8, 22.1)

9338

 − 10.7 (− 12.2, − 9.2)

Usually or always justified (3)

1697

11.9 (11.2, 12.6)

804

8.3 (7.5, 9.0)

9338

 − 2.8 (− 3.8, − 1.8)

Non-response

81

0.9 (0.6, 1.1)

72

1.0 (0.7, 1.3)

9338

0.4 (0.0, 0.7)

Item score†

12,866

1.56 (1.54, 1.57)

9266

1.38 (1.36, 1.40)

9236

 − 0.164 (− 0.184, − 0.143)

To oppose Americans who do not share my beliefs§

Never justified (1)

11,746

88.5 (87.7, 89.3)

8564

88.7 (87.7, 89.7)

9338

 − 0.2 (− 1.2, 0.9)

Sometimes justified (2)

871

7.9 (7.3, 8.6)

526

7.5 (6.7, 8.4)

9338

 − 0.5 (− 1.5, 0.5)

Usually or always justified (3)

263

2.8 (2.4, 3.2)

184

2.9 (2.4, 3.5)

9338

0.2 (− 0.4, 0.9)

Non-response

67

0.7 (0.5, 1.0)

64

0.9 (0.6, 1.2)

9338

0.4 (0.1, 0.7)

Item score†

12,880

1.14 (1.13, 1.15)

9274

1.13 (1.12, 1.15)

9250

 − 0.001 (− 0.015, 0.013)

To oppose the government when it does not share my beliefs§

Never justified (1)

10,607

80.2 (79.2, 81.1)

7890

82.2 (81.0, 83.3)

9338

2.1 (0.9, 3.3)

Sometimes justified (2)

1859

14.9 (14.1, 15.8)

1107

13.0 (12.0, 14.0)

9338

 − 1.9 (− 3.1, − 0.7)

Usually or always justified (3)

338

3.4 (2.9, 3.8)

283

3.9 (3.3, 4.5)

9338

0.2 (− 0.5, 0.9)

Non-response

143

1.5 (1.2, 1.8)

58

0.9 (0.6, 1.1)

9338

 − 0.4 (− 0.8, 0.0)

Item score†

12,804

1.22 (1.21, 1.23)

9280

1.21 (1.20, 1.23)

9219

 − 0.018 (− 0.034, − 0.001)

To oppose the government when it tries to take private land for public purposes§

Never justified (1)

7870

60.7 (59.6, 61.8)

6336

67.6 (66.2, 68.9)

9338

6.3 (4.8, 7.8)

Sometimes justified (2)

3787

28.3 (27.3, 29.3)

2260

23.4 (22.2, 24.5)

9338

 − 4.4 (− 6.0, − 2.9)

Usually or always justified (3)

1141

9.5 (8.8, 10.2)

682

8.2 (7.4, 9.0)

9338

 − 1.5 (− 2.5, − 0.5)

Non-response

149

1.5 (1.2, 1.8)

60

0.9 (0.6, 1.2)

9338

 − 0.3 (− 0.7, 0.1)

Item score†

12,798

1.48 (1.47, 1.50)

9278

1.40 (1.38, 1.42)

9204

 − 0.078 (− 0.098, − 0.058)

  1. * Among respondents to both surveys (n = 9385)
  2. † Mean scores in 2022 and 2023 were scored using values indicated in the response lines for individual items. Non-responses were excluded from mean score calculations and differences in mean scores were computed in the subsample of respondents with non-missing responses in both years by computing within-individual change scores and averaging them, to account for the longitudinal study design. For computing differences in individual response levels, indicator variables were computed for each item for each response level and within-individual differences in these were computed and averaged in the subsample of respondents who responded to the survey in both years. This explains why the unweighted n for the mean differences varies
  3. ‡ Restricted for each respondent to the 13 items presented to that respondent in both years
  4. § 47 participants who did not answer the question "In general…to advance an important political objective that you support" in 2023 were not asked this question
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Injury Epidemiology

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