Poll: Two-thirds believe US cities ‘under siege’ by protesters

Roughly two-thirds of Americans surveyed said they believe cities in the U.S. are “under siege” by protesters and counterprotesters, according to a USA Today-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. 

Sixty-four percent of surveyed Americans said cities are under siege, with a strong partisan divide on the sentiment, based on the poll. 

The poll found that 83 percent of Republicans said they believe U.S. cities are under siege by protesters, while just 48 percent of Democrats said they agree.

The partisan divide comes as President Trump has spent the last several months warning against violent demonstrations amid the ongoing protests over police brutality and racial inequality. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has offered support for protesters, but has condemned violent agitators. 

The poll found the view was also split between surveyed Americans in urban cities and those in rural areas. Seventy-one percent of Americans in rural areas said they believe American cities are under siege by protesters and counterprotesters, while a lesser 59 percent of Americans living in urban cities said the same, based on the poll. 

A partisan split on how to respond to protests was also found by the poll. An overwhelming 82 percent of Republicans said the government should deploy more police to get protests and unrest under control, while just 35 percent of Democrats said the same. 

Seventy-seven percent of Republicans also said people should arm themselves to protect private property during protests, while just 33 percent of Democrats said the same, based on the poll. 

Trump has sought to push a message of “law and order” in response to the protests. The Trump administration has sent federal law enforcement officials to aid local law enforcement in some cities during the unrest. Democrats widely condemned Trump for doing so. 

Biden has criticized Trump’s response to the protest, accusing him of further dividing the nation. He has also dismissed Trump’s warnings that a Biden presidency would lead to more violence.

The survey was conducted between Sept. 17-18. It surveyed 1,108 adults and has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.