The number of Democratic voters who support the use of violence in politics is on the rise

A team of researchers from the University of Chicago published a report about threats to national politics. Among the findings of the study, titled "Dangers to Democracy: Tracking Deep Distrust of Democratic Institutions, Conspiracy Beliefs, and Support for Political Violence Among Americans," is the increase in public support for the use of force to exert pressure on and coerce lawmakers.

On the latter issue, the increase was much more significant for Democrats. Among them, there was a 150% jump in those who believe that violence should be used to force the hand of lawmakers.

16% of Democrats would use violence to defend abortion

According to the University of Chicago, there are two major issues behind the rise of violence in politics.

There are more individuals who believe that force and violence are justified to restore and maintain abortion rights. In September 2022, an estimated 21 million Americans supported this claim. By June 2023, that number grew to 31 million, according to the University of Chicago researchers. This represents an increase from 8% to 12%. For Democratic voters, the increase was from 8% to 16%.

Those who believe the use of force is justified to return Trump to the White House also increased, though to a lesser extent. This number rose from an estimate of 13 million in September 2022 to 18 million in June 2023.

According to the authors of the report, this very significant increase in tolerance for violence is linked to Democratic voters' perception of the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority.

The Democrats' extremist turn could also be related to their view of the 2024 presidential election. Some 58% of Americans consider Trump as a threat to democracy. Another 31%, only of Democrats, responded that they believed there would be very serious consequences if Joe Biden lost the election in 2024 had he continued with the presidential race. 

Violence among the Republican electorate is also gaining steam. The recent legal action taken against former President Trump is among the reasons that could explain this phenomenon.