28% Of Americans Think Taking Up Arms Against Government May Be Necessary, New Poll Finds

Most Americans agree that the government is corrupt, according to a new poll conducted by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics.

A striking 28% of those polled said they believe they might need to take up arms against the government. Thirty-seven percent of that group are gun owners.

The poll also confirmed a deep partisan divide with 73% of Republican identifiers saying they believe that “Democrats are generally bullies who want to impose their political beliefs on those who disagree.” Even more Democrats, 74% to be precise, hold the same view of Republicans.

These strongly held views have also affected how identifiers of each party interact with each other. A whopping 49% say they would just rather avoid the topic of politics altogether if they don’t know where someone stands. The poll also showed that many people have stopped being friends with people both in real life and on social media if they do not share the same political beliefs. Twenty-six percent of responders added that they have stopped doing business with a brand or company that holds differing views.

Exactly half of the responders blamed certain news sources for misinformation affecting friends and family.

“A free media and broad sharing of facts are essential to a healthy, functioning democracy,” Democratic pollster Joel Benenson said. “What this survey shows is how isolated we are in media silos and the degree of skepticism people feel about the integrity of news sources. It’s one of the many challenges reflected in this data that are red flashing lights.”