Forty-three percent believe it will take place within the next decade.
QUICK FACTS:
- A recent poll found that about 43% of Americans believe that the nation will be embroiled in a civil war within the next decade.
- It was discovered that Republicans are more likely to agree that a conflict of this nature will occur soon.
- Using data from surveys carried out by the US Census Bureau, a sample of 1,500 US citizens was chosen for the poll.
- The poll was conducted by the Economist and UK-headquartered analytics firm YouGov and found that Republicans were much more likely to believe civil war is coming than Democrats.
- YouGov’s data showed that 55% of self-identified “strong” Republicans said civil war is at least somewhat likely, and 40% of self-identified “strong” Democrats felt the same.
QUOTES FROM THE STUDY:
- “What is the likelihood that political violence will culminate in a civil war in the U.S.? While only 14% of Americans say a civil war is very likely in the next decade, 43% say it is at least somewhat likely. About one in three – 35% – say it is not very or at all likely, and 22% are unsure,” the YouGov poll said.
- “People who say they are “strong Republicans” are the political group most likely to anticipate a civil war: 21% say it’s very likely, compared to less than 15% of each of the other four political groups studied.”
- “Two-thirds of Americans (66%) believe that political divisions in this country have gotten worse since the beginning of 2021, compared to only 8% who say the country has grown less divided,” the poll also stated. “Few see things improving in the coming years: 62% expect an increase in political divisions.”
BACKGROUND:
- Hyper-polarization of the left and right sides of the political spectrum has increased in recent years as progressives have increased the gap between conservatives and Democrats.
- President Joe Biden demonstrated that divide when he recently asked Republicans to pull away from “MAGA Republicans” and his predecessor in a speech about the upcoming midterm elections.
- White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a speech that people who voted for Donald Trump are “a threat to our democracy, to our freedom, to our rights.”