Story perspectives

Democrats More Likely to Justify Violence After CEO Assassination

7/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Democrats grew more supportive of partisan violence after Luigi Mangione’s arrest on December 9 2024, following the December 4 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Researchers Chiara Vargiu and Alessandro Nai reported that two-wave YouGov surveys of 3,100 adults (Sept 4–Nov 5 2024) and 2,479 follow-ups (Nov 6–Dec 17 2024) showed Democrats were more likely to say the attacker was provoked.
The study also reported that respondents with a high “need for chaos” or poor health were more likely to justify the hypothetical attacker.

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Story summary

Democrats grew more supportive of partisan violence after Luigi Mangione’s arrest on December 9 2024, following the December 4 2024 assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Researchers Chiara Vargiu and Alessandro Nai reported that two-wave YouGov surveys of 3,100 adults (Sept 4–Nov 5 2024) and 2,479 follow-ups (Nov 6–Dec 17 2024) showed Democrats were more likely to say the attacker was provoked.
The study also reported that respondents with a high “need for chaos” or poor health were more likely to justify the hypothetical attacker.