Americans concerned about democracy ahead of Capitol riots anniversary

In the days ahead of Thursday’s anniversary of the Capitol riots, CBS News conducted a poll that found a majority of Americans don’t believe the riots were an isolated incident. The poll was conducted on 2,063 American adults between Dec. 27-30. Among the findings:

• 68% of respondents believe the Capitol riots were a sign of increasing violence.
• 66% of respondents believe democracy in the United States is under threat ahead of the Capitol riots anniversary.
• 62% of respondents expect there to be more violence over losing the next presidential election.

“We then followed up and asked, ‘If that’s your side that loses and there is in fact violence, would you be in favor of that or not,’” CBS News reporters wrote in a report on the poll. “A mere 2% would favor it. But another quarter left it open, saying it depends on the circumstance.”

The sentiment that the Jan. 6 Capitol riots may not be an isolated incident was emphasized over the weekend by the man running the House committee investigating the riots.

“What people saw on Jan. 6 with their own eyes was not just something created at one moment,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) said in a television interview ahead of the Capitol riots anniversary. “It was clearly, what we believe, based on the information we have been able to gather, a coordinated activity on the part of a lot of people.”

According to President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, the world has also taken notice. At the recent Council on Foreign Relations, Jake Sullivan said the Capitol riots altered the view many countries have of the U.S.

“Jan. 6 has had a material impact on the view of the United States from the rest of the world, I believe from allies and adversaries alike,” Sullivan said. “Allies look at it with concern and worry about the future of American democracy. Adversaries look at it, you know, more sort of rubbing their hands together and thinking, ‘How do we take advantage of this in one way or another?’”

President Biden plans to deliver a speech Thursday to mark the anniversary of the Capitol riots. The speech is expected to focus on sustaining democracy.