January 1, Poll: Americans are embracing far-right conspiracy theories, political violence

A new poll by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute shows a growing number of Americans embracing conspiracy theories and political violence.

One in five Americans believes in the QAnon conspiracy that “there is a storm coming soon.” One in six thinks the government is controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global sex-trafficking ring.

According to the survey, 18 percent of Americans say they agree that the country has gotten so far off track that “true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country.”

Data showed that 30 percent of Republicans agree that violence might be warranted, compared with 17 percent of independents and 11 percent of Democrats. Forty percent of individuals who watch media outlets like One America News Network and Newsmax agree that violence might be warranted.

“I’m not an alarmist by nature, but I’m deeply disturbed by these numbers. I think that we really have to take them seriously as a threat to democracy,” said Robert Jones, founder and chief executive of the Public Religion Institute.

Source:

Stunning survey gives grim view of flourishing anti-democratic opinions