Sizable majority says 'heated rhetoric by politicians raises risk of violence Do you think elected officials using heated or aggressive language to talk about certain people or groups makes violence against those people or groups more likely? (%) No, does not make Yes, makes violence % who say elected officials should about how some may act encourage violence
Americans broadly agree that elected officials should avoid using heated language because it could encourage violence. Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%) say this, while just a quarter believe that elected officials “should be able to use heated language to express themselves without worrying about whether some people may act on what they say.”
Sizable majority says 'heated rhetoric  | by politicians raises risk of violence  | Do you think elected officials using heated or aggressive  | language to talk about certain people or groups makes  | violence against those people or groups more likely? (%)  | No, does not make Yes, makes violence  | violence No, more likely  | more likely  | Total  | 78  | 21  | Rep/I Lean Rep  | 37  | 61  | 91  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 8  | % who say elected officials should  | Be able to use heated  | Avoid heated language  | language without worrying  | because it could  | about how some may act encourage violence  | Total  | 25  | 73  | 37  | 61  | Rep/Lean Rep  | Dem/Lean Dem  | 16  | 83  | Note: No answer responses snot shown.  | Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted April 29-May 13, 2019  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 