(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) A study by a researcher at the University of Chicago has found that approval for political violence has risen across the political spectrum, but the trend is especially pronounced among Democrats.
Robert Pape, a political science professor at the University of Chicago who reports to be a “liberal republican,” and who confessed to voting for Democrats in the past, performed the study, according to Breitbart News.
The study, which divided Americans into three groups (Democrats, Republicans and independents), found a rise in the approval of political violence in all groups.
- Republican support of the use of violence grew by 6%.
- Independent support grew by 8%.
- Democrats saw the highest growth, with a 9% increase in the approval of violence.
Purporting to be a tracker of “Dangers to Democracy,” the study reported that partisanship may be causing the effect.
“This growing anger parallels the Republican rise to power and proceedings in the House of Representatives,” the study reported.
The growth of approval for violence is directly tied with abortion policy.
“Radical, expressly violent support to restore the federal right to abortion grew from 8 percent in January 2023 to 12 percent as of June 26, 2023,” the study reported. “The increase was sharpest among Democrats, doubling over the past 6 months from 8 to 16 percent,” the study concluded showing abortion advocates rose by higher numbers than other liberals.
“This likely indicates growing anger over the Republican controlled supreme court.”
Pape said the results of the study were troubling.
“Things are definitely heading in the wrong direction in terms of the radicalization of the country. We need to be aware of that because there were some hopes that the Trump indictment would actually reduce support for Trump,” he said, in a claim running counter to arguments that the Trump indictments politically weaponized the Biden DOJ and served to bolster Trump’s popularity.
More troubling, per Pape, is the timing of the findings.
“Things are going in the wrong direction of radicalization, and we haven’t even gotten into the really heated part of the 2024 election season.”
