One in three Americans believes that sometimes it can be "justified for citizens to take violent action against the government," according to a new study that saw a significant increase in this indicator compared to previous years, writes The Hill.
A poll by The Washington Post-University of Meryland on Saturday found that 40 percent of Republicans say violence can be justified, compared to 23 percent of Democrats and 41 percent of independents.
Overall, 62 percent of respondents said violence was never justified, and four percent either had no opinion or answered "justified," but said in a follow-up question that they did not think violence was justified.
Of those who say violence can be deserved, 22 per cent say it can be justified by the government violating or depriving people of their rights or freedoms, and 15 per cent say a potential military coup or the collapse of democracy .
Overall, the percentage of people who say violence against the government is sometimes justified has increased in recent years.
In October 2015, 23% of people said it was justified, compared to 16% in January 2011 and April 2010 and 13% in April 1995, according to researchers.
The survey also found that 19 percent of respondents said the legal consequences for people who invaded the US Capitol were too harsh, and 51 percent said they were not harsh enough. Another 28% said the penalties were fair and 3% had no opinion.
But the poll also revealed a large party divide over former President Trump's responsibility for the January 6 events. Among Democrats, 92 percent say Trump is "largely" or "partially" to blame for the attack, compared to 27 percent of Republicans.
The survey was conducted between December 17 and 19 and included 1101 adults with a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
The poll was conducted on the eve of the first anniversary of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
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