Most still condemn Jan. 6 but Republican disapproval continues to wane: poll

Three years after a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, most Americans still condemn the violent and deadly riot, but Republican disapproval continues to wane, a new survey found.

The insurrection brought an overwhelming bipartisan disapproval from Americans, and while a majority still do dissaprove of the events of Jan. 6, things have changed in the years since, the new survey conducted by CBS News pointed out.

Seventy-eight percent of respondents disapprove of the actions of those who forced their way into the Capitol, the survey found.

Compared to a Jan. 2021 poll, more Republicans approve of the actions now. In 2021, 21 percent of respondents said they approved of the actions of rioters, and now, 30 percent say they approve.

Republicans who identify as part of the MAGA movement are nearly twice as likely than other Republicans to outright approve of the actions of the rioters, CBS News reported.

While a majority of Republicans still disapprove of the actions of those involved in the insurrection, people a disapproving less strongly as they once were.

In 2021, 51 percent of Republican respondents said they disapprove strongly of the actions, compared to 32 percent who say the same today. More were likely to say they somewhat disapproved — 28 percent in 2021 and 38 percent in the newest survey.

More than half, 51 percent, of Republican respondents said they thought the behavior of the rioters involved in the insurrection were “not typical of most Trump supporters.”

Thirty-seven percent said they believe it was “people pretending to be Trump supporters.” Only 12 percent of Republican respondents said it was typical of most Trump supporters.

CBS News noted that both Democrats and Republicans describe what happened that day as a protest that went too far. But for most Democrats, it was also described as an insurrection, an attempt to overthrow the government and an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election results to keep former President Trump in power.

To Republicans, the survey found, Jan. 6 was more about “defending freedom” and “patriotism.” Republican respondents used these descriptors more in the 2024 poll than they did in the Jan. 2021 survey, CBS News said.

Many respondents are concerned about a peaceful transfer of power in the future and feel democracy today is threatened, the poll found.

The CBS News and You Gov survey was conducted among 2,157 adults between Jan. 3-5, 2024. The margin of error is 2.8 percentage points.