Voters Want Increased Gun Safety and Community Violence Intervention
By Anika Dandekar and Tenneth Fairclough II
Gun violence is more prevalent in the United States than in any other developed nation and has now become the leading cause of death for children in this country.
Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,311 likely voters nationally from July 8–10, 2022, testing voters’ attitudes on gun violence and solutions. We find that a majority of voters think Congress should pass more gun safety laws and invest in community violence intervention.
Voters’ Attitudes Toward Gun Violence
We asked voters how concerned they are about gun violence in their own communities. Among all likely voters, a third report feeling “very” concerned about gun violence in their community. Voters of color are significantly more likely to report feelings of concern than white voters. Fifty-one percent of Black voters and 53 percent of Hispanic voters feel “very” concerned about gun violence in their communities, while just 29 percent of white voters say they are “very” concerned about gun violence in their communities.
When asked what they believe is responsible for the prevalence of gun violence in America, a plurality of voters (46 percent) say gun violence is due to a failure to address the root causes of it — poverty, trauma, and mental health. Meanwhile, 39 percent say it is due to the availability of guns, and 10 percent say it is due to weak policing. Nearly two thirds of Democrats (62 percent) attribute widespread gun violence to easily available guns, while 30 percent attribute it to failure to address root causes. A plurality of Independents (48 percent) say gun violence is widespread because of failure to address root causes, 35 percent say it is because guns are easily available, and 10 percent say it is because of weak policing. Sixty percent of Republicans believe gun violence is due to failures to address poverty, trauma, and mental health; 20 percent believe it is due to the availability of guns; and only 15 percent believe gun violence is widespread due to weak policing.
When asked which is more important to them, reducing gun violence or protecting the Second Amendment, 59 percent of voters say it is more important to reduce gun violence. This is true among Democrats and Independents as well, with 86 percent and 58 percent, respectively, believing that reducing gun violence is more important than protecting the Second Amendment. Nearly one-third of Republicans believe that it is more important to reduce gun violence.
Then, we asked voters whether they believe that it is possible to reduce gun violence or if it is a reality we just have to accept. Eighty-one percent of voters believe that gun violence can be reduced. At least three-quarters of voters across partisanship hold this view, with 86 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of Independents, and 75 percent of Republicans saying it is possible to reduce gun violence “if we really want to.”
Voters’ Attitudes Toward Policy Solutions to Gun Violence
Next, we informed voters about community violence intervention, which are programs that develop relationships in communities and help deliver services that are needed for individuals at risk, and asked respondents if they believe Congress should provide more or less funding toward those programs, or if there has already been enough funding. We find close to two-thirds of voters (64 percent) want Congress to provide more funding toward community violence intervention. We also find that over three-quarters of Democrats (82 percent) and close to two-thirds of Independents (62 percent) believe Congress should provide more funding for community violence intervention, and that a plurality of Republicans (47 percent) support funding these interventions as well. Voters across race also want Congress to provide more community violence intervention funding, including 69 percent of Black voters, 70 percent of Hispanic voters, and 63 percent of white voters.
We then tested if voters prefer increasing resources for community violence intervention or if they prefer increasing the presence of law enforcement to address gun violence in communities. Voters prefer increasing resources for community violence intervention over increasing the presence of law enforcement by a 2-to-1 margin. Eighty percent of Democrats and 59 percent of Independents prefer increasing resources for community violence intervention, while Republicans are evenly split on which policy solution they prefer to address gun violence in communities. Seventy-four percent of Black voters, 71 percent of Hispanic voters, and 60 percent of white voters prefer providing more community violence resources over increasing law enforcement presence.
Conclusion
Despite the passage of a few bipartisan measures to reduce gun violence, voters are very concerned about gun violence in the United States. Voters are looking to Congress to provide increased resources and pass more gun laws to address it. Community violence intervention aim to break cycles of violence and trauma, and have been proven to decrease gun violence. Elected officials at all levels of government should note their voters’ opinions: Building a community violence intervention ecosystem, not increased policing, is preferred in reducing gun violence.
Anika Dandekar (@anikadandekar) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.
Tenneth Fairclough II (@tenten_wins) is a polling analyst at Data for Progress.