By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Americans are overwhelmingly concerned about the rising rate of political violence but are divided on how much they think the media bears the responsibility for the rise of violence, according to a new poll.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll shows 82% of registered voters are concerned about political violence following last month’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The poll found that Republican voters are more concerned, at 91%, compared to Democrats at 74%. Of those who are concerned, 56% say they are very concerned, 26% somewhat concerned, 7% report not being very concerned, and 6% are not concerned at all. Only 5% reported being unsure.

The survey finds that only 20% of Democrats are not concerned about political violence, while 30% say they are somewhat concerned, 11% report not being very concerned, and 9% are not at all concerned, followed by 6% who are unsure.

Despite a majority of voters being concerned about the rise in political violence, there is division on who bears the most responsibility for sparking it.

Twenty percent of voters cite social media influencers with platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, while 18% of voters point to mainstream or legacy media.

Only 8% blame new media sources, such as online news sites, independent news organizations, and podcasts, for the rise in violence.

However, 39% of voters believe the groups are equally responsible, with only 7% thinking none are to blame.

While voters appear to be evenly split among party lines in assigning blame, the largest gap between Republicans and Democrats lies in whether the mainstream or legacy media bears the majority of the responsibility.

Twenty-four percent of Republicans blame the mainstream or legacy media, while only 12% of Democrats share the same view.

The poll comes as the Trump administration vows to crack down on the rise of political violence, with President Donald Trump recommitting to this effort during a ceremony posthumously awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Kirk on Tuesday evening.

The president cited his own brush with death when he was shot during a campaign event in Butler, Pa., in July 2024. In addition, he noted an increase in funding for security to U.S. Supreme Court justices following a foiled plot to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

However, conservatives and Republicans aren’t the only ones being targeted. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family escaped without injury in an arson attempt on the governor’s mansion in an April attack.

In June, two Minnesota Democratic lawmakers were targeted in early morning shootings at their homes. The Minnesota House Speaker, Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were murdered, while state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were shot and seriously injured.

In addition to targeting attacks on political figures, there has been a rise in violence targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and facilities, prompting the Trump administration to deploy the National Guard and surge federal law enforcement to protect ICE facilities and agents.

The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll was conducted by Noble Predictive Insights between Oct. 2-6, 2025. The poll sample included 2,565 respondents, comprised of 978 Republicans, 948 Democrats, and 639 Independents, of which 262 lean toward neither major party, which Noble Predictive refers to as independents who, when asked if they leaned toward one of the major parties, chose neither.

The poll weighted each party – Republicans, Democrats, and True Independents – independently. It has a margin of error of +/-2.0%.