A landmark 2025 survey by the Kettering Foundation and Gallup asked more than 20,000 U.S. adults a straightforward question: Is it ever acceptable to use violence to advance a political goal?
The good news: 84% of Americans say it is “never OK.” The concerning news: 16%—roughly one in six—say it is “sometimes OK.”
That figure has remained remarkably stable since Gallup first asked similar questions in 1970 and 1995, hovering around 15%. What has changed is who makes up that 16%.
Age is now the strongest predictor. Younger adults (18–29) are significantly more likely than older generations to believe political violence can sometimes be justified. Heavy social media use also stands out as a factor, along with weaker identification with being American and the feeling that one has been targeted or excluded because of race, religion, politics, or another personal characteristic.
Perhaps the most unexpected finding is the link between social isolation and attitudes toward violence. People who regularly feel lonely, who report that they or someone in their household has been discriminated against in the past year, or who feel little sense of belonging in society are considerably more open to the idea that violence can be acceptable in politics.
Views on democracy itself also matter. Americans who believe democracy is the best form of government and who think most of their fellow citizens are genuinely committed to making democracy work are far less likely to excuse political violence.
Historical Context Even though the overall percentage of Americans willing to tolerate political violence has barely budged in half a century, the composition of that group has shifted. Today’s younger generations are more sympathetic to the idea than young people were in the 1970s or 1990s, and a modest gender gap has appeared among adults under 45 that largely disappears in older age groups.
A Note of Caution Researchers emphasize that broad questions about “political violence” can overstate true support for extreme acts. When people are asked about specific behaviors—physically assaulting or murdering someone for political reasons—approval falls to just a few percent. Still, any increase in the willingness to rationalize violence in the abstract is a warning sign.
Why It Matters Threats of violence, even when they remain only threats, chill free speech, intimidate public officials, and make normal citizens alike. They make democratic debate feel dangerous rather than energizing.
The Bottom Line Most Americans—across parties, incomes, and education levels—remain firmly opposed to political violence. Yet a persistent minority finds the idea at least somewhat acceptable, and that minority is disproportionately young, socially isolated, and disconnected from a shared sense of national belonging.
As political tensions remain high and recent years have brought real acts of violence from across the ideological spectrum, the survey suggests that strengthening social connections and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions may be as important as any security measure in keeping political violence rare.