A third of Gen Z supports political violence: Survey

The left is growing more violent — or at least more accepting of violence as a means to an end.

A new national survey suggests that support for political violence has dramatically increased among younger Americans, particularly among those who identify as “very liberal,” hold graduate degrees, and/or belong to the GenZ demographic.

The American Political Perspectives Survey, conducted between August and late September 2025, asked 3,000 adults to rate their agreement with two statements:

• “Violence is often necessary to create social change.”
• “If you are protesting something unjust, it is reasonable to damage property.”

Roughly one in three younger adults – those in Generation Z and the Millennial cohort – agreed with at least one of the statements.

Support for political violence was highest among those identifying as “very liberal.” Nearly half of liberal GenZ respondents agreed that violence can be necessary to create social change.

Among GenZ women who identify as liberal, support for political violence exceeded that of men from Generation X and the Baby Boomer generation.

The survey also found an unexpected pattern in education. Americans with the highest levels of formal education – those with graduate or professional degrees – were nearly twice as likely to support political violence as those with less education. About 40% of this group agreed that “violence is often necessary to create social change,” and 36% agreed that property damage is reasonable when protesting injustice.

Racial differences were also significant: 53% of black GenZ adults agreed that violence is often necessary to achieve social change, the highest rate among all racial groups. Asians were the least likely to agree. Among older generations, support for violence declined sharply, with most Americans over 45 rejecting both statements.

The researchers note that the survey measured attitudes toward political violence, not the acts themselves. However, growing tolerance for political violence could indicate a deeper shift in how Americans think about social change and political conflict.

These findings arrive amid heightened public concern about political violence in the United States. The past year has seen multiple high-profile attacks, including the assassinations of Charlie Kirk and Melissa Hortman and several attempts on former President Donald Trump’s life.

Organizations that monitor extremism, such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center, often report that right-wing extremists commit the majority of politically motivated violence. These groups overlook incidents of left-wing violence. The 2020 George Floyd riots, which resulted in roughly $2 billion in property damage and more than two dozen deaths, are promoted as examples legitimate protest.

The generational and educational divides revealed by the survey align with broader social patterns. Across cultures, young men are consistently more prone to engage in violence, and studies have long shown that political extremists, including terrorists, are often better educated than the general population.

The APPS survey’s findings suggest that support for political violence is now more prevalent among younger, left-leaning, and well-educated Americans than among conservatives.

The full survey results are at this link.