Only 29% of Republicans say they support efforts to investigate and prosecute those accused of participating in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, according to a poll.
The poll, published by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, found 86% of Democrats support the efforts. According to three-quarters of Republicans, the country should “move on” from investigating the riot compared to 84% of Democrats who say the country needs to learn more about the events.
Americans continue to blame former President Donald Trump for the events that day. Forty-four percent of Americans say he is the cause of it compared to 4% who blame President Joe Biden.
The poll also showed Republicans are still minimizing the attack, with 80% saying it was a “protest.” Fifty-five percent of all respondents describe it as a “riot.”
Only 21% of Republicans say Biden’s victory was legitimate.
“Given the continued questioning of Biden’s victory by prominent Republican elected officials, conservative media personalities and former President Trump, it is no surprise that 7 in 10 Republicans, conservatives and Trump voters view the results of the 2020 election with skepticism, if not outright disbelief,” Tatishe Nteta, associate professor of political science at the college and director of the poll, said.
He added, “However, overall American opinion on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidentialj election has remained steady since April, as close to 6 in 10 Americans view Biden’s victory as legitimate.”
Raymond La Raja, professor of political science and associate director of the poll, explained the “top reason voters don’t think Biden’s victory was legitimate has to do with belief in fraud.”
Alexander Theodoridis, associate professor of political science and associate director of the poll, pointed out Democrats and Republicans are living in “diametrically opposed ‘realities.'”
The poll was conducted from December 14 to 20 and surveyed 1,000 respondents nationwide.
