6 In 10 Americans Believe Jan. 6 Should Be Investigated: Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — With the one-year anniversary of the United States Capitol riot coming this week, more than six in 10 Americans believe the events of Jan. 6 should be investigated.

According to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll, 62 percent of Americans think it's appropriate that the Select Congressional Committee looks into the riot, and 35 percent believe the investigation is not a witch hunt.

The poll also found that a plurality of Americans — 49 percent — consider the riot to be an insurrection and a threat to U.S. democracy. Twenty-five percent of those who responded said the events of Jan. 6, 2021, were political protests protected under the First Amendment, and 19 percent said what happened that day was unfortunate but didn't have implications for the future.

Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said that both Democrats and Republicans believe the U.S. democracy is under threat.

"But they overwhelmingly disagree over the meaning of the events of January 6th and the motivation behind the investigation into the events of that day," he said.

When broken down by political affiliation, the division of opinion is even starker.

The Marist Poll showed that 89 percent of Democrats thought Jan. 6 was an insurrection while 45 percent of Republicans said it was just a political protest. An additional 35 percent of Republicans said it was not something to worry about in the future.

Over time, the number of Americans who blame former President Donald Trump for what happened Jan. 6 has decreased.

In mid-January 2021, 58 percent of respondents blamed Trump. Now it's 53 percent, the poll found.

There is, however, agreement on one issue, the Marist Poll said.

Most Americans — 78 percent — think the issues that divide the nation pose a serious threat to democracy.

The NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll of 1,400 adults, age 18 and up, living in the U.S. was conducted Dec. 11 through Dec. 13. The margin of error is ±4 percent.