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64% Think The January 6 Attack On The Capitol Was Planned, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Number Of Americans Viewing Rising Prices As A Crisis Climbs

With the House select committee examining the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Americans, 64 - 30 percent, say that the attack was planned rather than spontaneous, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University national poll of adults released today.

Democrats say 84 - 13 percent and independents say 61 - 30 percent that the attack was planned. Republicans are divided, with 49 percent saying it was planned and 46 percent saying it was spontaneous.

A majority of Americans (58 percent) say they are following news about the work of the January 6 congressional committee very closely (26 percent) or somewhat closely (32 percent) and 41 percent say they are following news about the work of the committee not so closely (17 percent) or not closely at all (24 percent).

Americans are split about whether or not they think former President Donald Trump committed a crime with his efforts to change the results of the 2020 presidential election, with 46 percent saying he did commit a crime and 47 percent saying he did not commit a crime. The results are essentially unchanged from an April 6, 2022 Quinnipiac University poll.

Nearly 6 in 10 Americans think former President Trump bears a lot (41 percent) or some (18 percent) of the responsibility for the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, while 39 percent say he bears not much of the responsibility (14 percent) or none at all (25 percent). The results are mostly unchanged from a January 12, 2022 Quinnipiac University poll.

Among Republicans, 69 percent say Trump bears not much of the responsibility (25 percent) or none at all (44 percent). Among Democrats, 92 percent say Trump bears a lot (77 percent) or some (15 percent) of the responsibility.

"Yes, the January 6 attack was planned, say more than 60 percent of Americans, and a majority say yes, former President Trump bears a measure of responsibility for the calamity that ensued. But criminal charges for Trump? It's a toss-up. There is no consensus," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.

Americans were asked whether they are more or less likely to vote for a political candidate for office who says they believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump. Fifteen percent of Americans say they are more likely to vote for that candidate, while 45 percent say they are less likely to vote for that candidate and 35 percent say it makes no difference. Thirty-five percent of Republicans say they are more likely to vote for that candidate, while 17 percent say they are less likely to vote for that candidate and 44 percent say it makes no difference.

EXTREMISM

A vast majority of Americans (77 percent) think extremism from within the country is the bigger threat to the United States rather than extremism from another country, while 17 percent think extremism from another country is the bigger threat to the United States rather than extremism from within the country. The findings are similar across all listed groups.

RISING PRICES

Nearly 6 in 10 Americans, 59 percent, think that rising prices in the United States is a crisis and 38 percent think it's a problem but not a crisis. That is an increase in the percentage of Americans who say it is a crisis from a Quinnipiac University poll on April 27, 2022, when 49 percent thought rising prices was a crisis and 47 percent thought it was a problem but not a crisis.

Seventy-six percent of Republicans and 59 percent of independents think rising prices is a crisis, while 39 percent of Democrats think rising prices is a crisis.

More than 6 in 10 Americans (63 percent) say the price of gas and consumer goods is the economic issue that worries them most right now, while 17 percent say the cost of housing or rent, 11 percent say the stock market, and 3 percent say their job situation.

More than two-thirds of Americans (68 percent) say the price of gasoline has either been a very serious (30 percent) or somewhat serious (38 percent) problem for them and their family lately, while 32 percent say it's not too serious (22 percent) or not a problem at all (10 percent).

Americans 55 - 44 percent say that as a result of the recent rise in gas prices, they have cut back significantly on their household spending.

Four out of ten Americans (40 percent) say they have changed their summer vacation plans as a result of gas prices, while 58 percent say they have not. That is up from Quinnipiac's March 30, 2022 poll when 30 percent of Americans said they had changed their summer vacation plans and 67 percent said they had not.

"Summer's heat sweeps across the country. The beach and mountains beckon, but gas prices are freezing a quickly growing number of Americans into 'staycation' mode," added Malloy.

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (69 percent) think a president has a lot (36 percent) or some (33 percent) control over inflation, while 31 percent think a president has only a little control over inflation (22 percent) or none at all (9 percent).

PRESIDENT BIDEN

Americans give President Joe Biden a negative 33 - 57 percent job approval rating with 10 percent not offering an opinion. Biden's 33 percent job approval among Americans ties the low that he has received in three previous Quinnipiac University national polls.

Registered voters give President Biden a negative 35 - 58 percent job approval rating with 7 percent not offering an opinion. Biden's 35 percent job approval among registered voters ties the low that he has received in three previous Quinnipiac University national polls.

Americans were asked about Biden's handling of ...

  • the response to the coronavirus: 50 percent approve, while 44 percent disapprove;
  • the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine: 40 percent approve, while 51 percent disapprove;
  • the economy: 32 percent approve, while 62 percent disapprove;
  • gun violence: 31 percent approve, while 57 percent disapprove.

ABORTION

As the nation awaits a major abortion ruling by the Supreme Court, registered voters agree 61 - 33 percent with the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that established a woman's right to an abortion.

In Quinnipiac University polling trends among registered voters on this question dating back to 2005, the lowest level of agreement with Roe v. Wade was in 2010 when 60 percent agreed and 35 percent disagreed. The highest level of agreement with Roe v. Wade was in a January 27, 2017 poll when 70 percent agreed and 26 percent disagreed.

Six in ten registered voters think abortion should be legal in either all cases (29 percent) or most cases (31 percent) and 34 percent of registered voters think abortion should be illegal in most cases (24 percent) or all cases (10 percent).

An overwhelming majority of registered voters (82 percent) think abortion should be legal when the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest, while 11 percent think it should be illegal in that situation.

1,524 U.S. adults nationwide were surveyed from June 17th - 20th with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. The survey included 1,357 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points.

The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Doug Schwartz, Ph.D. since 1994, conducts independent, non-partisan national and state polls on politics and issues. Surveys adhere to industry best practices and are based on random samples of adults using random digit dialing with live interviewers calling landlines and cell phones.

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