Poll: Percentage Who Think Nation Is United Has Doubled Since 1/6 A demonstrator supporting the people who have been imprisoned following the January 6, 2021 unrest yells at counter-protesters during a rally near the U.S. Capitol. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
By Nicole Wells | Wednesday, 05 October 2022 05:33 PM EDT
The percentage of people who say the nation is united has doubled since the breach of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a new poll.
Although only 12% of those surveyed think the country is united, that's twice the 6% that was recorded in the immediate aftermath of the protest, according to an NBCLX-YouGov poll released on Wednesday.
An overwhelming 93% of respondents in January 2021 said they felt the nation was divided; nearly two years later, the number has fallen to 81%.
In the new poll, men were nearly twice as likely as women to say the country is united, 16% to 9%.
Eighty-five percent of White respondents reported feeling division, versus 74% of Hispanic respondents and 63% of Black respondents.
According to the survey, the 18-29 age group said they felt the strongest sense of unity, at 23%, with that share shrinking with each successive age group. Just 2% of those 65 and older said they feel the country is united.
Broken down by political party affiliation, Democrats were more hopeful about the country's closeness, with 23% of Democrat poll participants saying the country feels united, compared to a paltry 6% of Republicans and 8% of independents.
Among Democrats surveyed, 40% said the country has become more united under President Joe Biden. Three percent of Republicans and 15% of independents agreed.
Nearly half of Democrats – 49% – said Biden should prioritize fulfilling his campaign promises and passing his legislative agenda, even if that results in a less unified country.
Conversely, 45% of Republicans said that Biden should make more of an effort to unite the country, even if he has to tap the brakes on advancing his legislative agenda. In the 2021 poll, which was taken after Biden had been elected but before he had been sworn in, 70% of Republicans said his focus should be on unity.
When asked if they thought former President Donald Trump committed crimes during and after his presidency, 49% and 43% respectively said they believed he had.
The new poll was conducted Sept. 8-11 and surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.