Poll: Americans value free speech but worry about ‘hateful’ political rhetoric

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(The Center Square) – A new poll in the wake of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk reveals potentially conflicting feelings about free speech, political rhetoric and gun laws among those surveyed. The vast majority of respondents knew who Charlie Kirk was and were following news about his death. 

RMG Research, conducted the polling on behalf of pollster Scott Rasmussen and Napolitan News Service. RMG surveyed 1,000 registered voters online and found that while most Americans believe in the importance of protecting free speech, they’re also concerned about the threat that “hateful” political rhetoric poses to democracy. Sixty-five percent of survey participants indicated they thought it was “more important to protect free speech” than to prevent the use of “overheated language.” But 57% chose “hateful speech from public figures” as the greatest threat to democracy of seven listed options.

Respondents thought the “January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol” was the second-greatest threat, with 42% selecting this option. Next was Kirk’s assassination at 37%, the mainstream media at 30%, and uncensored social media posts at 23%. The rest indicated the requirement of photo ID to vote or “none of the above.”

The poll also asked: "While it is always difficult to wish ill of another human being, is America better off now that Charlie Kirk has been killed?" Fifteen percent of respondents answered "yes," 67% said "no" and 18% were not sure.

While Americans want to defend free speech, 46% of participants believed that Donald Trump had used rhetoric that “might encourage some people to act violently.” However, nearly half of participants (47%) indicated they thought both parties were equally responsible for the current atmosphere of political violence in the U.S. More than one-third thought one party was more to blame than the other, and of those, 53% chose Democrats.

With respect to guns, nearly 40% of those polled believed that mass shootings were the leading cause of gun deaths in America, followed by gang warfare at 21% and suicide at 13%. 

According to both health care think tank KFF and the Pew Research Center, suicides are by far the leading cause of gun-related deaths in the U.S. In 2023, more than 27,000 Americans used a gun to commit suicide, while nearly 18,000 used a gun in a murder, according to a March study on gun deaths by the center.

Mass shootings are defined differently depending on the source, but according to FBI data and not including the shooters, 105 people were killed in mass shootings involving guns in 2023. The Gun Violence Archive, which “defines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more people are shot, even if no one was killed,” recorded 722 deaths in mass shootings in 2023, according to the same study.

The majority of those surveyed would prefer to live in a community where gun ownership is allowed, while 34% would prefer to live in a community with no guns. Fifteen percent were unsure.