Three in four want politicians on their side to stay civil
Core finding
Verasight surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from September 25 to 30, 2026. 76.0% of Americans would rather the officials they agree with be civil and respectful toward opponents. Just 6.8% would prefer them to attack the other side.
Another 7.3% say there are no elected officials they agree with, and 9.9% are not sure.
Topline scale
Three in four want politicians on their side to stay civil.
Would you prefer it if elected officials you agree with are civil and respectful or would you like to see them be uncivil and attack those you disagree with?
n = 1,000 · Sep 25–30, 2026 · MoE ±3.5%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | Sep 25–30, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.5% |
| Module | Democracy, Politics, & Participation |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/2026-153-apsa-omnibus-report
Would you prefer it if elected officials you agree with are civil and respectful or would you like to see them be uncivil and attack those you disagree with?
Cite this question
APSA Omnibus Survey #2026-153, fielded September 25-30, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.5%.