Rising concerns ahead of US Election revealed in poll

Four in five Americans are concerned about increasing political violence following an assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump, and fear that the United States "is spiralling out of control," a Reuters/Ipsos poll found on Tuesday.

Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. The shooting became an alarming headline of news and social media forms, and sent political shocks across the country, with only over three months away from the presidential election.

Some 84 per cent of voters in the poll said they were concerned that extremists will commit acts of violence after the November election, an increase from the 74 per cent of the previous result in May.

Around 80 per cent of US voters, including Democrats and Republicans, agreed that "the country is spiraling out of the control."

Only 5 per cent of respondents said it was acceptable for someone in their political party to commit violence to achieve a political goal, down from 12 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll from June 2023.

According to the poll, Republican presidential candidate Trump leads a margin over Democratic President Joe Biden, with 43 per cent to 41 per cent.

It suggested that the attempt on Trump's life had not sparked a major shift in voter sentiment, Reuters said after the poll.

The poll, which was conducted online, surveyed 1,202 US adults nationwide, including 992 registered voters.