Political violence poses a growing threat to democracy, from high-profile events like the January 6 attack on the US Capitol to local threats of violence to election workers and school boards.
In response to this growing concern, The Joyce Foundation, Trusted Elections Fund, and The Klarman Family Foundation initiated a new public opinion research project on the problem of political violence. This project sought to understand the public's view of political violence and armed political extremism, if and how threats of political violence may impact the public’s likelihood to participate in (or avoid) civic activity, gauge the public’s support for targeted policy reforms, and provide guidance on effective messages and messengers for talking about these potential threats in a way that doesn’t scare people from voting or participating in other civic activities. The project was led by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQRR) and included national surveys with state and demographic oversamples, focus groups, and social listening. Dave Walker from GQRR will present their findings.