Political Violence
The Life in America Survey
In 2022, we launched the Life in America Survey, an annual, nationally representative survey to study political violence as a public health issue. The Life in America Survey is among the first to explore personal willingness to engage in specific political violence scenarios. It asks about motivations or justifications for the use of force or violence; different types of violence ranging from damaging property to threatening, injuring, or killing a person, including with the use of a firearm; and potential targets of violence, including community members, civil servants, and leaders.
Latest Research
PREPRINT: Support for Authoritarianism and Use of Force by and against the Federal Government in the United States in Mid-2025
Findings from a Nationally Representative SurveyAbout the PaperIN TWO SENTENCESIn mid-2025, a substantial minority of Americans endorse authoritarian views; smaller minorities agree that the current federal…
Public Opinion on Civil War in the USA as of Mid-2024
Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey
Click the image or link for the full-sized visual abstract.
AbstractBackgroundIn 2023, Wave 2 of an annual, nationally representative…
PREPRINT: The MAGA Movement and Political Violence in 2024
Findings from a Nationally Representative SurveyAbstractBackground: The possibility of widespread political violence poses a serious concern for the United States. A nationally representative survey…