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Friend, In late April – weeks before the horrific, racially motivated shooting in Buffalo, New York – we partnered with Tulchin Research to conduct a poll of 1,500 Americans. Our intent was to examine the extent to which the extremist beliefs and narratives that mobilize the hard right have been absorbed by the wider American public. Our findings, released today in a new report, are sobering – especially in light of what transpired in Buffalo last month. We found that the ideas underpinning the white nationalist “great replacement” narrative (a conspiracy theory cited by the alleged white supremacist terrorist in Buffalo) have become thoroughly mainstream on the political right. Nearly 7 in 10 Republicans surveyed agree to at least some extent that demographic changes in the United States are deliberately driven by liberal and progressive politicians attempting to gain political power by “replacing more conservative white voters.” Across the political spectrum, we found substantial support for threatening or acting violently against perceived political opponents. And we also uncovered a widespread feeling – especially among right-leaning Americans – that transgender people and “gender ideology” pose a threat to children and society at large. Our survey was not designed to simply measure prejudice or bigotry. Instead, we set out to examine to what degree people in certain groups feel threatened or persecuted by members of a defined “outgroup.” The belief that one group of people is inherently harmful to your own is foundational to extremism – and can lead to hostile action being taken against an outgroup on behalf of one’s supposedly threatened “in group.” Hostile actions against an outgroup can take the form of violence, like terrorist attacks, but they can also include conduct like abusive language or discriminatory and dehumanizing legislation. No political outcomes are inevitable, but our survey shows that the hard right could make greater political gains and, in the process, further erode our democracy. As their power grows, they could create conditions – through activism, policy and violence – that would disproportionately harm communities that continue to be marginalized in our society. The results of our survey show that a substantial effort, on the part of activists, institutions and government, will be required if we hope to secure a multiracial democracy and prevent partisan violence. We encourage you to take a look at the full report here. You can also review our most recent Year in Hate & Extremism report here. In solidarity, Your friends at the Southern Poverty Law Center
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