Americans believe harsh political rhetoric is fuelling violence: Poll

Roughly two out of three Americans believe that the harsh rhetoric used in talking about politics is encouraging violence, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the days following the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.

- 

The three-day poll, which closed on Sept 14, revealed a nation unnerved by partisan divisions and worried over a spike in political violence that includes the June slayings of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband.

Some 63 per cent of respondents to the Reuters/Ipsos poll said the way Americans talk about political issues did “a lot” to encourage violence. Some 31 per cent said the country’s approach to political discourse was giving “a little” boost to violence, and the rest saw no impact or did not answer the question.

Republican President Donald Trump, himself the target of two assassination attempts in 2024, has attacked political rivals over the Sept 10 killing, saying on Sept 11 that “we have radical left lunatics out there and we just have to beat the hell out of them”.