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Table 7 Justification for political violence for 8 additional 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)

To stop voter fraud

Never justified (1)

4772

73.3 (71.9, 74.7)

7180

77.2 (76.0, 78.4)

4697

3.1 (1.2, 4.9)

Sometimes justified (2)

1023

16.3 (15.2, 17.5)

1292

13.4 (12.4, 14.4)

4697

 − 2.5 (− 4.4, − 0.6)

Usually or always justified (3)

624

9.4 (8.5, 10.4)

798

8.5 (7.8, 9.4)

4697

 − 0.7 (− 2.1, 0.7)

Non-response

43

1.0 (0.7, 1.4)

68

0.9 (0.7, 1.2)

4697

 − 0.1(− 0.3, 0.5)

Item score‡

6419

1.35 (1.33, 1.38)

9270

1.31 (1.29, 1.32)

4650

 − 0.038 (− 0.065, − 0.011)

To stop voter intimidation

Never justified (1)

3847

61.2 (59.7, 62.7)

6478

70.4 (69.1, 71.7)

4641

8.4 (6.2, 10.6)

Sometimes justified (2)

1903

27.9 (26.5, 29.3)

2050

20.8 (19.7, 22.0)

4641

 − 7.1 (− 9.2, − 4.9)

Usually or always justified (3)

705

10.3 (9.3, 11.3)

742

7.8 (7.1, 8.6)

4641

 − 2.1 (− 3.6, − 0.6)

Non-response

30

0.6 (0.4, 1.0)

68

0.9 (0.7, 1.3)

4641

0.8 (0.3, 1.2)

Item score‡

6455

1.49 (1.47, 1.51)

9270

1.37 (1.35, 1.39)

4597

 − 0.113 (− 0.143, − 0.082)

To stop police violence

Never justified (1)

3114

45.5 (43.9, 47.1)

5493

57.7 (56.3, 59.0)

4666

10.9 (8.6, 13.2)

Sometimes justified (2)

2580

41.0 (39.5, 42.6)

2970

31.5 (30.2, 32.8)

4666

 − 8.2 (− 10.6, − 5.8)

Usually or always justified (3)

731

12.7 (11.7, 13.9)

807

9.9 (9.1, 10.9)

4666

 − 3.0 (− 4.5, − 1.5)

Non-response

37

0.8 (0.5, 1.1)

68

0.9 (0.7, 1.3)

4666

0.3 (0.0, 0.6)

Item score‡

6425

1.67 (1.65, 1.69)

9270

1.52 (1.50, 1.54)

4619

 − 0.141 (− 0.171, − 0.111)

To reinforce the police

Never justified (1)

2377

42.2 (40.6, 43.8)

4851

58.2 (56.9, 59.6)

4672

14.9 (12.7, 17.1)

Sometimes justified (2)

2661

38.7 (37.2, 40.2)

3279

29.8 (28.6, 31.1)

4672

 − 7.8 (− 10.1, − 5.5)

Usually or always justified (3)

1404

18.3 (17.2, 19.5)

1139

11.0 (10.2, 11.9)

4672

 − 7.8 (− 9.4, − 6.2)

Non-response

43

0.9 (0.6, 1.2)

69

0.9 (0.7, 1.3)

4672

0.7 (0.2, 1.2)

Item score‡

6442

1.76 (1.74, 1.78)

9269

1.52 (1.50, 1.54)

4619

 − 0.231 (− 0.262, − 0.200)

To stop illegal immigration

Never justified (1)

3733

61.0 (59.4, 62.5)

5757

65.7 (64.3, 66.9)

4658

3.7 (1.7, 5.7)

Sometimes justified (2)

1819

26.5 (25.1, 27.9)

2341

22.3 (21.2, 23.5)

4658

 − 5.1 (− 7.1, − 3.0)

Usually or always justified (3)

858

11.5 (10.6, 12.6)

1174

11.1 (10.3, 12.0)

4658

1.1 (− 0.5, 2.6)

Non-response

39

1.0 (0.7, 1.5)

66

0.9 (0.7, 1.3)

4658

0.3 (− 0.1, 0.6)

Item score‡

6410

1.50 (1.48, 1.52)

9272

1.45 (1.43, 1.47)

4615

 − 0.028 (− 0.057, 0.002)

To keep borders open

Never justified (1)

4401

66.2 (64.7, 67.7)

7477

78.0 (76.8, 79.2)

4658

11.4 (9.3, 13.5)

Sometimes justified (2)

1535

24.9 (23.5, 26.3)

1295

14.9 (13.9, 15.9)

4658

 − 9.1 (− 11.2, − 7.0)

Usually or always justified (3)

518

8.2 (7.3, 9.1)

495

6.1 (5.5, 6.9)

4658

 − 2.6 (− 3.9, − 1.3)

Non-response

44

0.7 (0.5, 1.0)

71

0.9 (0.7, 1.3)

4658

0.3 (− 0.1, 0.8)

Item score‡

6454

1.42 (1.39, 1.44)

9267

1.27 (1.26, 1.29)

4624

 − 0.143 (− 0.171, − 0.115)

To stop a protest

Never justified (1)

3682

57.8 (56.2, 59.3)

6599

72.0 (70.7, 73.2)

4656

12.8 (10.7, 15.0)

Sometimes justified (2)

2396

35.3 (33.8, 36.8)

2233

21.4 (20.4, 22.6)

4656

 − 12.6 (− 14.8, − 10.4)

Usually or always justified (3)

376

6.0 (5.3, 6.9)

434

5.6 (5.0, 6.4)

4656

 − 0.6 (− 1.7, 0.5)

Non-response

41

0.9 (0.6, 1.3)

72

1.0 (0.7, 1.3)

4656

0.4 (0.0, 0.8)

Item score‡

6454

1.48 (1.46, 1.50)

9266

1.33 (1.31, 1.35)

4608

 − 0.137 (− 0.164, − 0.110)

To support a protest

Never justified (1)

5244

78.4 (77.1, 79.7)

7783

80.5 (79.3, 81.6)

4682

2.1 (0.2, 4.1)

Sometimes justified (2)

935

16.4 (15.2, 17.7)

1174

14.1 (13.2, 15.2)

4682

 − 2.6 (− 4.4, − 0.8)

Usually or always justified (3)

246

4.5 (3.9, 5.2)

319

4.5 (3.9, 5.2)

4682

0.0 (− 1.2, 1.1)

Non-response

27

0.6 (0.4, 1.0)

62

0.9 (0.6, 1.2)

4682

0.5 (0.1, 1.0)

Item score‡

6425

1.26 (1.24, 1.27)

9276

1.23 (1.22, 1.25)

4641

 − 0.027 (− 0.053, − 0.002)

  1. *These objectives were paired in 2022, with respondents randomized 1:1 to see 1 item in each pair
  2. †Among respondents to both surveys (n = 9385); 47 participants who did not answer the question "In general…to advance an important political objective that you support" in 2023 were not asked these questions
  3. ‡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
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Injury Epidemiology

ISSN: 2197-1714