Breaking Research: Political Leaders Failing to Condemn Followers’ Violent Rhetoric Seen as Top Contributor to Political Violence
Three in four Democrats say that hate symbols like Nazi flags or swastikas contribute to political violence, compared with half of Republicans
WASHINGTON (January 16, 2026) — A new national survey released today by PRRI finds that two-thirds of Americans (67%) believe political leaders’ failure to condemn violent rhetoric contributes a lot to violent actions in society. Democrats are 20 percentage points more likely than Republicans to agree that the failure of political leaders to condemn violent rhetoric contributes to violent actions in society (80% vs. 60%).
Additionally, majorities of Americans say that false or misleading information generated by AI (64%) and public displays of hate symbols (61%) contribute a lot to violent actions in society, while smaller majorities say the same about easy access to guns and harsh and violent political language (both 53%). White evangelical Protestants are the only group of religious Americans in which a minority (45% ) say that harsh and violent political language contributes a lot to violence in society.
“Americans, including both Republicans and Democrats, see elected leaders’ failures to condemn violent rhetoric from their followers as the strongest contributor to political violence today,” said PRRI President and Founder Robert P. Jones. “However, we see a worrisome lack of concern about the display of hate symbols like Nazi flags and swastikas from Republicans and white evangelical Protestants.”
Partisan divides are even wider concerning the role that public displays of hate symbols such as Nazi flags or swastikas play in provoking political violence, with three in four Democrats (76%) agreeing that such symbols contribute a lot to violence compared with roughly half of Republicans (51%).
Few Americans agree that destroying property, posting a political opponent’s private address or phone number, or punching, killing, or imprisoning a political opponent can be justified when done by people who share their political beliefs (7%, 5%, 6%, 5%, and 12%, respectively).
Today, most Americans (77%) disagree that “because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country,” compared with 20% of those who agree.
Agreement about the potential need for political violence has decreased significantly among Republicans since Trump’s reelection in November 2024, from 29% in September 2024 to 19% today; agreement among Democrats has remained lower over time but increased slightly in the past year to 17%. Support for political violence remains highest among those who qualify as Christian nationalism Adherents (28%) and lowest among Christian nationalism Rejecters (17%).
Just over half of Americans (52%) agree that the deployment of the National Guard to patrol American cities may cause more violence than it prevents.
Democrats (80%) and independents (60%) are both more than twice as likely as Republicans (23%) to agree. While over six in ten religiously unaffiliated Americans (65%), Christians of color (61%), and non-Christians (61%) agree that the deployment of the National Guard may cause more violence than it prevents, just 39% of white Christians share this view.
Four in ten Americans (41%) favor “stripping U.S. citizens of their citizenship and deporting them if they are determined to be a threat to the country,” compared with a majority of Americans (55%) who oppose such a policy.
Republicans (60%) are roughly twice as likely as independents (38%) and Democrats (27%) to agree with this policy. White evangelical Protestants (56%) are the only religious group with majority support for stripping U.S. citizens of their citizenship and deporting them, compared with fewer Hispanic Protestants (49%), white Catholics (48%), and white mainline Protestants (46%). Support among other religious groups is notably lower.
Other notable findings:
Americans are roughly split as to whether right-wing groups (44%) or left-wing groups (41%) are responsible for most political violence today; Democrats attribute most political violence to right-wing groups (73%), while Republicans attribute most to left-wing groups (72%).
68% of Americans oppose “President Trump’s pardoning of over 1,500 people convicted for their role in the attacks on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021,” compared with 29% who favor it.
Most Americans (68%) agree that “when Americans speak up and protest unfair treatment by the government, it always makes our country better,” compared with 29% who disagree.
Join us for a webinar next week to hear a panel of experts discuss the report’s findings. Register now.
