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A newly-release poll by the Economist and YouGov.com says 66 percent of Americans “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.”
However, the most alarming revelation of this survey—taken Aug. 20-23 from 1,500 adults—says 40 percent—two in every five people—believe it is “somewhat likely” that a civil war will erupt sometime during the next decade. Republicans appear more likely than Democrats to expect such hostilities.
The Economist/YouGov report acknowledges “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.
“People who say they are ‘strong Republicans’ are the political group most likely to anticipate a civil war,” the report adds. “Twenty-one percent say it’s very likely, compared to less than 15% of each of the other four political groups studied.”
The story was picked up by The Guardian, but it does not appear to have raised many alarms, even after a link was provided by the Drudge Report website.
Sixty-two percent of the survey respondents think political divisions will increase in the coming years, and 66 percent say political violence has increased since the beginning of 2021. That would coincide with Joe Biden’s entry into the White House 19 months ago.
The same survey asked whether respondents want Donald Trump to run again for the presidency in 2024. Only 10 percent of Democrats said “yes” while 83 percent said “no,” and seven percent weren’t sure. On the other side of the fence, 57 percent of Republicans favor another Trump run, while 24 percent do not and 19 percent are not sure.
Among Independents, only 23 percent said yes to another Trump run, while 56 percent said “no” and 21 percent were not sure.
This comes as the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll on Biden still shows his unpopularity running double to his approval. According to Rasmussen, 44 percent of likely voters approve of Biden’s job performance while 55 percent disapprove.
However, the more important numbers show Biden is “strongly approved” by only 22 percent of survey respondents while 45 percent “strongly disapprove.”
