Poll: Leftists more likely to celebrate death, justify domestic terrorism
Democrats are more likely to celebrate the deaths of public figures they oppose, according to a new YouGov poll.
While 77% of Republicans said it is always unacceptable to be happy about a political opponent’s death, just 38% of Democrats said the same. Thirty-three percent of Democrats said it is “usually unacceptable,” and 11% said it is either always acceptable (4%) or usually acceptable (7%). Eighteen percent of Democrats said they were not sure whether it is acceptable to celebrate the death of a public figure they oppose, while just 5% of Republicans said the same.
Overall, 56% of respondents—just over half—said it is always unacceptable to be happy about the death of a public figure they oppose.
Leftists are also more likely to justify domestic terrorism. Asked whether “it is ever justified for citizens to resort to violence in order to achieve political goals,” 25% of those who identified as “very liberal” said it is sometimes justified, and 17% of those who identified as “liberal” agreed. Just 6% of conservatives and 3% of those who identify as “very conservative” say it is sometimes justified.
But while Leftists may justify violence for political ends, they are not more likely to justify violence for self-defense.
Left-wing assassination culture
The poll was conducted after Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and father of two, was murdered on Wednesday in a political assassination, the latest victim of what researchers call the Left’s “assassination culture.”
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck while peacefully debating college students at Utah Valley University. The suspected killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was “deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology,” Utah Governor Spencer Cox confirmed.
Immediately following the murder, social media was awash with Leftists celebrating Kirk’s death. MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd said Kirk had it coming because he voiced “awful” opinions. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) blamed the assassination on President Trump’s “rhetoric.”
The reaction shocked and angered the Right, but some shared an April tweet from Kirk himself warning about the Left’s assassination culture.
“Assassination culture is spreading on the left,” Kirk wrote. “Forty-eight percent of liberals say it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk. Fifty-five percent said the same about Donald Trump.
“In California, activists are naming ballot measures after Luigi Mangione.
“The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy. Any setback, whether losing an election or losing a court case, justifies a maximally violent response.
“This is the natural outgrowth of left-wing protest culture tolerating violence and mayhem for years on end. The cowardice of local prosecutors and school officials have turned the left into a ticking time bomb.”
Kirk was referring to a survey reported by The Gold Report in April, which found that as much as 55% of those who self-identify as Leftists said it would at least be somewhat justified to assassinate President Donald Trump or billionaire Elon Musk. These findings correlate with the Left’s celebration of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s assassination in December by Luigi Mangione, as well as the attempt on Trump’s life on July 13, 2024.
Respondents were also asked whether violent attacks on Tesla dealerships are justified to protest Elon Musk. Forty percent said such attacks are at least somewhat acceptable.
“These attitudes are not fringe — they reflect an emergent assassination culture, grounded in far-left authoritarianism and increasingly normalized in digital discourse,” said the report. “The reports found widespread justification for lethal violence — including assassination — among younger, highly online, and ideologically left-aligned users,” the report added.
