Americans fear repeat likely soon

Most Americans believe that events similar to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot will take place over the next few years, with nearly two-thirds saying that the events of that day have changed how we think about democratic government, according to a poll released Wednesday.

Some 57% of Americans, including 47% of Republicans and 70% of Democrats, believe that something like the storming of the Capitol will happen again in the coming years, the Axios/Momentive survey found.

Meanwhile, 63% say the attack changed the way Americans view the government, with 31% saying it altered perceptions permanently and 33% saying the change is temporary.

Less than half of Americans (49%) said they still have faith in the country’s democratic system of government, while 37% said they had lost faith and 10% said they never had faith. When the numbers are broken down by party, 47% of Republicans said they had lost faith, compared with just 28% of Democrats.

Strong majorities still back the current model that divides power among the three branches of government, with 83% of Americans expressing support, including 86% of Republicans and 87% of Democrats.

Only 13% believe that the government would be more effective if all power were concentrated in a single figure.

While most Americans (55%) still accept President Biden as the legitimate winner of the 2020 election, that number is down three points from this time last year. Only 25% of Republicans recognize Biden’s victory as legitimate, compared with 89% of Democrats.