Topline
More than 60% of Americans believe the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was planned and almost half believe it will likely be repeated, according to a Quinnipiac University poll, as the January 6 committee presents evidence suggesting the attack was highly orchestrated.
Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” screams “Freedom” inside the U.S. Senate chamber … [+]
Key Facts
Of the 1,524 respondents polled from Friday to Monday, 64% said they believe the attack was planned, compared to just 30% who thought it was spontaneous.
The proportion who believe the attack was planned drops to 49% among Republicans, but that is still more than the 46% of GOP respondents who said it was spontaneous.
The vast majority of respondents (59%) said former President Donald Trump is at least somewhat to blame for the attack, including 41% who said he deserves “a lot” of blame.
Among Democrats, 92% said Trump is at least somewhat to blame for the attack, but only 28% of Republicans said the same.
Most Americans have been keeping up with the January 6 hearings, according to the poll, with 58% of respondents saying they’ve been watching “somewhat” or “very” closely, including majorities of both Republicans and Democrats.
Some 48% of respondents said they believe the attack is likely to be repeated, while 44% said it was an isolated incident, but there is a major partisan divide on the issue: 71% of Democrats said the attack will likely be repeated, while 67% of Republicans said it was isolated.
Surprising Fact
A slight plurality (47%) said they do not believe Trump committed a crime in his effort to overturn the 2020 election results, with 46% believing he did. The issue is deeply divided along partisan lines—85% of Democratic respondents said Trump committed a crime, while 81% of Republicans said he did not.
Key Background
The poll was conducted just after the January 6 committee wrapped up its second hearing. The hearings have largely centered around Trump’s role in the attack, which lawmakers have portrayed as a coordinated effort by far-right groups incited by the former president. The first hearing, which the committee largely used as a preview for later hearings, was held in primetime, drawing an audience of more than 20 million viewers. The three subsequent daytime hearings focused on Trump’s refusal to acknowledge he lost the election, his push for former Vice President Mike Pence to block the certification of the election and an effort to get states to overturn their election results. Trump, without evidence, continues to insist he won the 2020 election and has decried the hearings as a sham.
What To Watch For
The January 6 committee will hold its fifth hearing on Thursday afternoon before taking a pause. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), committee chairman, said Wednesday that future hearings will be pushed until July as the committee reviews a trove of new evidence it’s received since starting the June hearings.
Further Reading
Jan. 6 Panel Delays Hearings Amid New Evidence—Including Tapes Of Trump Family (Forbes)
More Than 20 Million Tuned Into January 6 Hearing—Topping NBA Finals (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/06/22/nearly-two-thirds-of-americans-think-jan-6-attack-was-planned-poll-suggests/