Fifty-seven percent (57%) of Democratic voters believe supporters of Donald Trump are a serious threat to the nation. A Scott Rasmussen national survey found that 56% of those in President Biden’s party also consider the unvaccinated a serious threat. That’s a higher level of concern than Democrats express about the Taliban (44% see it as a serious threat); China (44%), or Russia (37%).
These results help explain the tone and actions taken recently by President Biden.
Republicans and Independents have a much different view of the threats facing the nation.
For Republicans, the top concerns are the Taliban (66%), Defund the Police Activists (62%), and China (58%).
The top three concerns for Independents are the same as the GOP (though in a different order). The Taliban is the biggest concern for independent voters (46%) followed by China (45%) and Defund the Police Activists (36%).
Among all voters, 52% see the Taliban as a serious threat and 49% say the same about China. Next on the list, 40% see Defund the Police Activists as a serious threat and 39% see the unvaccinated that way.
While Democrats see Trump supporters as the biggest threat facing the nation, 42% of all voters see them as no threat. That’s not terribly surprising given that the former president received nearly as many votes as President Biden. This is the only group asked about in the survey where the number saying No Threat tops the Serious Threat.
The disconnect may come from the fact that a plurality of Democrats think most Trump voters supported those who assaulted the Capitol. However, that is not the case. A solid majority of Republicans and a solid majority of Trump supporters disapprove of those who broke into the Capitol on January 6.
Going even further, 45% of voters consider the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol a major threat to democracy. However, a slightly larger number–55%– believe letting government bureaucrats set rules without approval of Congress or voters is a major threat to democracy.
On the topic of seeing the unvaccinated as a threat, Scott Rasmussen recently asked vaccinated voters an open-ended question on their thoughts about the unvaccinated. The responses are far less angry than you might expect from the media coverage (see the raw responses from 659 vaccinated voters here).
Other recent survey data helps explain the lack of anger in the comments offered by vaccinated voters. Most (57%) are comfortable attending indoor social events without wearing a mask. Also, if they tested positive for COVID, 67% of voters think it’s they would recover quickly with only minor symptoms. Just 5% say such a recovery is Not at All Likely.
