U.S. News
Women Show Rising Support for Political Assassinations
Clear Facts
- A recent poll found women are 14% to 20% more likely than men to justify political assassination.
- 54.7% of women versus 45.2% of men expressed some justification for the killing of Zohran Mamdani, and 57.1% of women versus 50.1% of men did so for Donald Trump.
- Social media use and political polarization among younger women are linked to increased justification for political violence.
Polling data reveals a significant rise in women supporting the idea that political assassination can be justified, cutting across ideological lines.
This trend was observed as the U.S. faces increased political violence and a society grappling with division and moral decline.
Joel Finkelstein, co-founder of NCRI, stated,
“We assumed young men would be driving this, given unemployment, disengagement, and declining graduation rates. That’s why we explicitly examined gender. What surprised us, honestly shocked us, was that women were more likely to show tolerance for political violence.”
The survey was conducted using CloudResearch Prime Panels and included a nationally representative sample, asking Americans about political attitudes, public figures, and the direction of the country.
While women perpetrate fewer murders, polling shows they are more willing than men to rationalize political killings, with the largest gaps appearing in justifications of violence toward both left- and right-wing public figures.
Finkelstein commented,
“Over the past decade, women, especially younger women have become more politically polarized, more emotionally moralized, and more immersed in online political identity formation. That shift predates our study. What we’re seeing now may be the downstream effect of those longer-term changes.”
An April 2025 survey revealed similar findings, particularly among left-leaning Americans, with 56% supporting the justification of Trump’s assassination and 50.2% for Elon Musk.
The most recent results show “assassination culture” cutting across ideological boundaries, with 67% of left-of-center, 58.1% of centrists, and 42.5% of right-of-center respondents saying Trump’s assassination could be justified.
Data also showed that those who justify political assassination are overwhelmingly likely to believe America is in decline, with over 70% reporting this view when asked about Trump.
Social media usage was a clear factor: the most active left-leaning users scored 50% higher on justifying killing Trump, while the most active on the right were 59% more likely to justify the killing of Mamdani.
Colin Wright, an evolutionary biologist and NCRI contributor, observed,
“Today’s social media platforms reward outrage, absolutism, and symbolic aggression while flattening moral complexity. In these spaces, punishment is not just normalized but aestheticized. Violence is reframed as meaningful, expressive, or even admirable, which lowers the psychological barriers that usually keep it in check.”
Younger adults on the left (ages 18-29) reported the highest support at 82%, while right-leaning adults aged 30-44 showed 73% approval for political assassination justification.
This data points to a concerning pattern: America faces both a crisis of faith in its future and a social environment, fueled by media and online platforms, that increasingly normalizes extreme views and actions. Stay informed and involved to protect our nation’s traditional values against this alarming trend.
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