America’s dad and mom present rising concern over gun violence — CBS Information ballot

Social pressures. Bullies. Lecturers. These are all issues generations of American youngsters have needed to fear about. 

At this time, their dad and mom inform us, there’s one other fear weighing on most of them, too: the prospect of gun violence.

It’s more and more on dad and mom’ minds, as nicely; concern amongst America’s dad and mom now could be even greater than it was final summer time. 

At this time, 77% are at the very least considerably involved. Final yr it was already excessive at 72%. 

Six in 10 dad and mom say that their children categorical fear over gun violence, both loads or typically. 

Whereas not as excessive as these perennial children’ considerations like bullying and social pressures, it’s nonetheless true for many households in cities and suburbs; for these with greater and decrease incomes; throughout racial teams; and in each area of the nation. In brief, the fear that youngsters have over gun violence is reported virtually in every single place. 

People general report feeling “annoyed” over the political gun debate — extra so than some other descriptor they might decide, much more than “offended” and much more than “happy.” And gun violence specifically does rank as an important difficulty by practically two-thirds of People. 

That frustration could also be, partly, as a result of most People don’t see both political social gathering as significantly efficient in conserving folks secure from gun violence. 

These views are pushed by sharp partisan divides through which either side thinks the opposite’s gun insurance policies put folks in danger. In relative phrases the Democrats fare solely the slightest bit higher on that comparability. 

A few of that is associated to 1 specific coverage concept — a ban on AR-15s — that the majority People proceed to assist. 

Those that favor the concept usually tend to suppose the Democrats’ method can be safer; these opposing it are likely to see Republicans’ method as resulting in security by a large margin. 

That stated, most People haven’t solely given up hope on the matter, with three in 4 saying mass shootings are one thing we might “forestall and cease if we actually tried,” and never one thing we’ve to “settle for as a part of a free society.”

That features a giant majority of gun homeowners, 4 in 10 of whom additionally assist a ban on AR-15s. 

Extra broadly, we proceed to see dramatic ideological variations in how People view weapons and what they imply. Given an extended listing of descriptors, about half of People say weapons make the nation “harmful,” extra so than “secure” by a large margin. 

However the ideological breaks on which are sharp.

Liberals overwhelmingly — and moderates largely — decide that phrase “harmful,” whereas majorities of conservatives say weapons make the nation “free,” “sturdy,” and “secure.”

Alongside these traces, most liberals, together with most moderates, suppose the U.S. can be safer if fewer folks — or if nobody — had weapons. In contrast, 4 in 10 conservatives suppose the U.S. can be safer if extra folks — or everybody — had weapons.  

This CBS Information/YouGov survey was carried out with a nationally consultant pattern of two,065 U.S. grownup residents interviewed between April 12-14, 2023. The pattern was weighted in response to gender, age, race, and training based mostly on the U.S. Census American Group Survey and Present Inhabitants Survey, in addition to the 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is ± 3.2 factors.

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Anthony Salvanto

Anthony Salvanto, Ph.D., is CBS Information’ director of elections and surveys. He oversees all polling throughout the nation, states and congressional races, and heads the CBS Information Choice Desk that estimates outcomes on election nights. He’s the creator of “The place Did You Get This Quantity: A Pollster’s Information to Making Sense of the World,” from Simon & Schuster (a division of ViacomCBS), and seems frequently throughout all CBS Information platforms. His scholarly analysis and writings cowl matters on polling methodology, voting habits, and sampling strategies.