CBS News poll: A year after Jan. 6, violence still seen threatening U.S. democracy, and some say force can be justified

Even as so many Americans decry the events of January 6, the day has had lasting impacts on the nation's psyche, the most immediate of which is that millions of Americans think more violence is coming, and that democracy itself might be threatened. 

The reality — and this won't allay all those fears — is that there are some Americans who generally view force or political violence undertaken by others as justifiable, depending on the situation. That applies to the violence on January 6, and to a few for whom 2020 remains unsettled, but also extends to other issues, from abortion to gun policy to civil rights. And it's partially related to beliefs that political opponents are an existential threat, or being convinced they'll do worse to you. We stress this is not how most people feel, and that those who do are a low number in percentage terms. But then, we've also seen that it doesn't take large numbers to provoke these wider concerns in the nation.

So, when people feel democracy is threatened, their concerns about violence become even more critical, and here's where public opinion really matters: democracy depends on its citizens adhering to its norms both because they believe in them, and because they expect others will, too.