UNITED STATES — A recent poll conducted by Pew Research shows that a growing number of Americans, both Democrats and Republicans alike, believe that gun violence is a major problem, with a majority expecting the situation to worsen over the next five years.
The poll revealed that the concerns over the issue of gun violence have increased by 11 percent in both parties since last year, and while twice as many Democrats view gun violence as a “very big” problem compared to Republicans, a significant shift in concern is still present among Republicans.
The uptick in worry comes amidst an increase in mass shootings nationwide, with 28 such killings occurring so far this year, all involving firearms.
The survey found that 60 percent of Americans currently view gun violence as a significant problem, with 23 percent calling it a moderately big problem. In contrast, only 4 percent of respondents felt that gun violence was not a problem at all.
Additionally, the poll revealed that 62 percent of Americans think that gun violence will continue to increase over the next five years. The nationwide concern is not reflected in the mutual opinions held by the two major parties, with 79 percent of Republicans favoring gun ownership as promoting safety, versus 78 percent of Democrats believing it decreases safety.
Although the poll suggests that the share of Americans in support of stricter gun laws has only slightly increased, from 53 percent in 2021 to 58 percent today, a considerable majority of women, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans favor stricter gun laws. In comparison, only 51 percent of men and 51 percent of White Americans think so.
The KFF research released in April shows that 42 percent of Black Americans, along with a significant number of Hispanic Americans, have directly experienced the impact of gun violence through personal threats or loss of family members, while a much lower figure for White Americans. Washington Post reports.
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