Seven in Ten Voters Oppose Continue to Oppose the Insurrection, Two in Three See a Sustained Risk to Democracy

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Navigator Research released new polling showing Americans remain deeply concerned about the implications of the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Of those who don’t strongly approve of Republicans in Congress, more than seven in ten (72 percent) remain concerned that Republicans in Congress have allowed white supremacist factions who were present at the attack to define the direction of their party, including 77 percent of Independents.

Meanwhile, two in three voters (67 percent) remain concerned that after the insurrection failed, Republicans are now rigging the election rules in states to make it easier to steal future elections.

Ahead of 2022, a vast majority of voters continue to oppose the actions of Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. By a 53-point margin, the public opposes the actions of the Trump supporters who broke into the Capitol building (19 percent support – 72 percent oppose), including more than two in three Independents (68 percent oppose) and three in five Republicans (61 percent oppose). An overwhelming majority (78 percent) also say it is important “for federal law enforcement agencies to find and prosecute those who broke into the U.S. Capitol on January 6th.”

There is also widespread support for the ongoing House investigation of the insurrection. Nearly seven in ten (69 percent) support the investigation, including two in three Independents (67 percent) and nearly half of Republicans (48 percent).

In a messaging battery about the January 6th attacks, two-thirds of Americans agreed with every statement tested about the long-term impacts on our democracy. 75 percent of Independents were persuaded of the ties between January 6th and “rigging election rules in states across the country to make it easier to successfully steal future elections” and electing “an extremist minority.”

“A vast majority of Americans recognize that January 6th was not just a single event that failed to subvert a free and failed election. It has become the centerpiece of an extended campaign by Republicans to make future efforts to undermine our democracy succeed,” said Bryan Bennett, Senior Director of Polling and Analytics at the Hub Project. “An overwhelming number of Americans watched in horror as the Capitol was breached on January 6th, and many see the Republican Party as beholden to the type of people who committed that act. It has left most Americans concerned about the future of our democracy.” 

This research also found that an overwhelming majority of Americans watched live as the insurrection took place. 75 percent of respondents said they watched live on the news as the attack unfolded on January 6th. Despite media echo chambers, the coverage of the events on January 6th broke through all mediums where majorities report viewing news on platforms, including social media (77 percent), Fox News (78 percent), and local television (80 percent).

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About Navigator Research

The Navigator Research project is designed to act as a consistent, flexible, responsive tool to inform policy debates. By conducting research and providing reliable guidance to inform allies, elected leaders, and the press, Navigator helps top leaders in Washington and grassroots leaders around the country shape the debate on the issues that matter most. Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.

About the Study

This release features findings from national online surveys of 1,000 registered voters conducted November 18-22, 2021 and December 3-6, 2021. Additional interviews were conducted among 100 Hispanic voters per survey, 100 African American voters per survey, 100 independents without a partisan lean per survey, and 70 Asian American and Pacific Islander voters per survey. The surveys were conducted online, recruiting respondents from an opt-in online panel vendor. Respondents were verified against a voter file and special care was taken to ensure the demographic composition of our sample matched that of the national registered voter population across a variety of demographic variables. The margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level for each survey is +/- 3.1 percent.