Most Americans believe that the country is on the edge of civil war, according to a new poll where participants blamed social media, the news media, and President Donald Trump for a growing division.
The Georgetown University Politics Civility Poll released Tuesday was the second installment to an April survey, and the October 10 research found that eight in 10 voters want both ‘compromise and common ground’ as well as leaders who ‘will stand up to the other side’.
‘That creates mixed messages for even the most skilled political leader trying to decide whether to be a fighter or a dealmaker,’ Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, said.
When asked to rate from 0-100 ‘with 100 being the edge of civil war’, the median average figure came up 67.23, but Elleithee said that individuals seem to think their way is the best way.
A new poll says the public blames social media, news media, and Donald Trump for social divisions and the ‘majority of Americans think we’re on the edge of civil war’
Trump ‘is a symptom of where we are, not “the” disease,’ the CEO of a group conducting the poll said, adding ‘we had to be at a certain point for Trump to become acceptable’
The October 10 research found that eight in 10 voters want both ‘compromise and common ground’ as well as leaders who ‘will stand up to the other side’
‘The majority of Americans believe that we are two-thirds of the way to being on the edge of civil war. That to me is a very pessimistic place,’ Elleithee added. ‘It seems to me what they’re saying is, “I believe in common ground, it’s just that common ground is where I’m standing”.’
Nearly 84 percent of respondents said they’re ‘tired of leaders compromising [their] values and ideals’.
Mo Elleithee, executive director of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, said: ‘That creates mixed messages for even the most skilled political leader trying to decide whether to be a fighter or a dealmaker’
A whopping 88 percent of voters expressed frustration about the ‘uncivil and rude behavior of many politicians’- especially women, Democrats, and African American voters – and 71 per cent of those strongly agreed.
Republicans mainly placed the blame for division on Democratic political leaders, social media, large newspapers, CNN, and MSNBC.
Most Democrats pointed the finger at Republican political leaders, social media, Fox News, wealthy special interests, and President Trump.
Independents narrowed it down to just the influence of social media and POTUS.
But the president of Tarrance Group, which conducted questionnaires for the bipartisan Battleground Poll in collaboration with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake’s Lake Research Partners, said Trump isn’t the cause of today’s ‘rude’ politics.
‘He is a symptom of where we are, not “the” disease,’ CEO Ed Goeas, who does not like Trump, said. ‘One of the things that I have focused on as we have gone into this death spiral of incivility in the country, that we had to be at a certain point for Trump to become acceptable.’
Respondents showed that may be the case as 84 per cent agreed when asked if they believe ‘behavior that used to be seen as unacceptable is now accepted as normal behavior’.
Elleithee determined the 2020 Presidential election ‘has the potential to be a race to the bottom’ and the poll ‘paints a scenario, a picture of a highly negative campaign that will continue to exacerbate the incivility in our public discourse’.
Goeas predicted about the final two candidates for president: ‘There is going to be a large body of voters who dislike both of them, and that’s going to be the swing vote in the election, which means it dictates the kind of campaign that’s run.’
Respondents indicated that Trump’s ‘rude’ politics is just a ‘symptom’ of what society had become as 84 per cent agreed when asked if they believe ‘behavior that used to be seen as unacceptable is now accepted as normal behavior’
The Georgetown University Politics Civility Poll released Tuesday was the second instalment to an April survey from Ed Goeas’ Tarrance Group, which conducted questionnaires for the bipartisan Battleground Poll in collaboration with Democratic pollster Celinda Lake’s Lake Research Partners (left)