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Comment by dmitrygr | Hacker News Reader

No surprise given that a full quarter of these on one side of the political spectrum consider political violence acceptable (~25%. Same figure is 9% for self-identified moderates, 3% for the other side).

Source: https://rb.gy/wdzmsc (YouGov poll, n=2,646, date = sep 10, 2025, question = "Do you think it is ever justified for citizens to resort to violence in order to achieve political goals? (%)", raw data linked under poll graph, downloadable )

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“ever”? So we’re not limited to reality or likely scenarios? Just anything I make up as if I was writing a creative fiction novel?

I’m not sure how much this question actually measures propensity towards violence, than it does creativity and imagination.

Yes political violence is NEVER justifiable. That is the one and only correct answer if you wish to live in a modern society. And believe me, you do not want to live in the other kind

The question is not limited to modern society! Or even humanity! Just “ever”. I mean what does the universe even look like in hundreds of millions of years? Humans won’t even be around.

I am not going to play pretend with you. Sorry that you dislike what you see so much as to nitpick to such a microscopic level, such is the data.

Then I think you misunderstood the question! I’d expect the HN crowd / programmers to know the importance of limiting scope.

I can suggest some good statistics books, which will happily explain why questions are purposefully worded this way.

> Yes political violence is NEVER justifiable. That is the one and only correct answer if you wish to live in a modern society.

Political violence is a daily occurrence in modern society. You find it acceptable because it is sanctioned.

Do you think the American Revolution was justified?

That is an insane take. So according to you, for example, it wouldn't have been justifiable for jews to carry out violent acts against the Nazi regime during WW2? Or any other oppressed people do so?

It's clear that there is a huge bias depending on how the question is phrased. All those conservatives who say that political violence is unacceptable would answer differently if it's phrased in terms relative to the second amendment.

One just needs to observe current events to understand that a large portion of ahem "the other side" either fail to understand what "political violence" is, or are simply lying about whether it can ever be justified.

It's currently in vogue for "the other side" to decry political violence; of course they will say it is not justified in a 2025 poll. The only problem is that it is blatantly contradicted by the political violence which is perpetrated and excused by "the other side".

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