A majority of Americans fear that another event like the January 6, 2021 uprising on the U.S. Capitol could happen again in the coming years, according to recent polling, laying bare widespread anxieties about polarization and divisiveness in politics.
The survey, conducted on behalf of Newsweek by Redfield & Wilton Strategies on December 19 among 1,500 U.S. adults, also revealed that more people think the full truth about the incident has not been made public than those who do, as questions linger in political discourse about the role of law enforcement in the uprising.
The results suggest that, three years on, January 6 is a date that still weighs heavy on many Americans’ minds, who may see it as marking the start of a new era of social upheaval and distrust in public institutions.
“Liberal outlets have kept the Capitol insurrection on a nearly nonstop loop for three years, while many right-wing broadcasts have continued to stoke conspiracy theories that the uprising was an ‘inside job’ or a ‘false flag’ operation,” he said. “To the extent these narratives both reinforce and reflect public opinion, there’s little doubt that polarization has, if anything, amplified since Biden was sworn into office.”
Some 52 percent of respondents to Newsweek’s poll thought the full truth about the uprising had not been shared with the public, compared to 29 percent who thought it had. But among Trump voters, those who thought there were still unknowns about January 6 was far higher—68 percent—than among Biden voters, 43 percent.
Read more at Newsweek.com
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