Less than half of people who identify as Republicans view the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol as a very violent event, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The poll by The Associated Press found that four in 10 Republicans say the riot, fueled by supporters of former President Donald Trump, was very violent or extremely violent.
The same survey showed three in 10 Republicans believe the riot was not violent, while another three in 10 found the attack somewhat violent.
A separate poll from The Washington Post and the University of Maryland showed 41% of independents saying that violence against governments is sometimes justified, while 40% of Republicans said the same.
Only 23% of Democrats in that survey said violence is sometimes justified against governments.
The polls come ahead of the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot on Thursday. More than 150 police officers were injured in the attack, and five people died, including a Capitol police officer.
Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed by a Capitol police officer.
The survey also found a stark contrast among parties, with nine in 10 Democrats viewing the riot as very or extremely violent.
Among the number of Americans who blame Mr. Trump for the riot, 57% said he bore significant responsibility for the attack, an increase of seven percentage points from those who said the same last year.
The number of Republicans who felt Mr. Trump was at fault for the attack also rose, with 22% saying he bore responsibility, compared with 11% in the previous survey.
The poll, conducted by AP and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, surveyed 1,089 adults between Dec. 2-7, 2021.
The survey had an error margin of +/-4.1%.
