Inflammatory Language: Blaming the Other Side
Jeffrey M. Jones at Gallup: Larger majorities of Americans than in the past believe that both the Democratic and Republican parties and their supporters have gone too far in using inflammatory language to criticize their opponents. Sixty-nine percent now say this about the Republican Party and Republicans, a 16-percentage-point increase from 2011, and 60% currently believe this applies to the Democratic Party and Democrats, which is nine points higher than 14 years ago.
These results are based on an Oct. 1-16 Gallup poll, which updated a question that had been previously asked in 2011 in the wake of a mass shooting that injured former Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and killed six. The latest poll was conducted shortly after Republican activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated during an appearance at a Utah college and follows two assassination attempts on Donald Trump in 2024.
Republicans and Democrats are now nearly unanimous in believing the other party has gone too far with its rhetoric and are much more likely to think this than in 2011. Ninety-four percent of Democrats, compared with 74% in 2011, now say Republicans and their supporters have gone too far, and 93% of Republicans (vs. 63% in 2011) say the same about Democrats and their supporters.
