Over 40% Think A U.S. Civil War Will Break Out Within A Decade, New Survey Reveals

More than 40% of Americans believe a civil war in the U.S. is imminent and will come to fruition within a decade, according to a new survey by YouGov and the Economist.

When surveying individuals who identify as “strong Republicans,” that number rose to above 50%.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) sparked conversations around possible violence over the weekend after he warned that there would be “riots in the streets” if former President Donald Trump is prosecuted for the mishandling of classified White House documents. The Justice Department is currently investigating the matter.

Fear of violence also grew following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Trump and his allies called on his supporters to “fight like hell” to challenge the 2020 election results, which Trump falsely claims was riddled with election fraud.

A group of far-right identifying individuals stormed the Capitol while Vice President Mike Pence was in the process of overseeing the certification of electoral results which indicated a Biden win. The event resulted in nine deaths including suicides of officers who were there the day of the attack.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed said the Capitol riots increased their fear of war or other forms of political violence.

Though recent comments and events point to a possibility of more political violence in the future, most experts say that it remains unlikely that a war the scale of the 1861 Civil War break out.

A higher percentage, 43% of Americans to be precise, said that civil war is somewhat likely, with that number increasing when those who identify as Republicans answer the question.