Support for Authoritarianism and Use of Force by and against the Federal Government in the United States in Mid-2025: Findings from a Nationally Representative Survey

Background: In 2025, during a protracted period of risk for political violence in the United States (US) and with a trend toward authoritarianism evident in the new federal administration, there is an urgent need for information on the public’s support for authoritarianism and government-initiated violence and the public’s willingness to engage in pro- or anti-government violence. Methods: Findings are from Wave 4 of a nationally representative annual longitudinal survey of members of the Ipsos KnowledgePanel. They are expressed as weighted proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), with extrapolations to counts for the US adult population. Results: The completion rate was 90.0%; there were 8248 respondents. About one third of respondents agreed at least somewhat that “having a strong leader for America is more important than having a democracy” and that “having political leaders I can trust to look out for my values and interests” was more important than “having election outcomes determined democratically.” About one in four agreed at least somewhat that “we should suspend Congress for a few years so a strong leader can clean up the mess made by politicians in Washington.” A third of respondents agreed at least somewhat that “the [federal] government should use the military to help enforce its policies in the United States.” About 14% of respondents agreed at least somewhat with the use of “private armed militia groups” for that purpose. Between 14% and 20% of respondents agreed at least somewhat that the federal government should arrest ordinary people and reporters or journalists who publicly oppose or criticize “its policies or the President.” About 2% of respondents were very or completely willing to personally “use force or violence” to support or to oppose “the government’s enforcement of its policies” and against individual opponents or supporters of “government policies or the President.” Conclusions: In 2025, substantial minorities of US adults endorse pro-authoritarian views. Smaller minorities endorse and are willing to participate in pro- or anti-government violence. These findings call for sustained, concerted action to preserve democracy in the United States by non-violent means.