Views on political violence
Core finding
Political violence is not just narrowly unpopular in this survey. Adults reject it across both versions of the scenario.
About 86% say it is unacceptable for someone to physically assault another person in support of a political cause they agree with. About 82% say assault is unacceptable when the cause is one they disagree with.
Supportive causes do not make assault acceptable
When the political cause is one respondents agree with, 78% call assault completely unacceptable and another 8% call it somewhat unacceptable.
Only about 7% say assault is acceptable in that aligned-cause scenario.
Stacked breakdown
86% say assault for a political cause they agree with is unacceptable.
n = 504 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.6%
Opposition to the cause does not change the pattern
The rejection is similar when the political cause is one respondents disagree with: 77% say assault is completely unacceptable and 5% say it is somewhat unacceptable.
Acceptance remains low in that scenario too, at about 6%.
Stacked breakdown
82% say assault for a political cause they disagree with is unacceptable.
n = 496 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±4.7%
The result is a broad boundary
The paired questions suggest that the boundary is about political violence itself, not only about whether respondents like the cause involved.
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 | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 504 |
| Margin of error | ±4.6% |
| Module | politics |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
How acceptable would it be for someone to physically assault another person in support of a political cause you agree with (e.g., abortion, gun rights, gender-affirming care)?
Cite this topic
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=504 US adults age 18+, +/- 4.6%.