64 percent in new poll say they think Jan. 6 attack was planned

Zach Schonfeld
·2 min read
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Nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults believe the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol was planned, according to a new Quinnipiac poll.

The poll found that 64 percent of respondents believed the attack was planned and 30 percent believed it was spontaneous.

Democrats were more likely to believe the attack was planned — only 13 percent said it was spontaneous — while Republicans were more divided. Forty-nine percent of Republicans said the attack was planned, compared to 46 percent who said it was spontaneous.

Nearly 6 in 10 respondents believe former President Trump bears at least some responsibility for the storming of the Capitol, with 41 percent saying he bears a lot of responsibility.

But when asked if they thought Trump committed a crime in his efforts to change the 2020 presidential election results, Americans were split. Forty-six percent said he committed a crime, but 47 percent said he did not.

“Yes, the January 6 attack was planned, say more than 60 percent of Americans, and a majority say yes, former President Trump bears a measure of responsibility for the calamity that ensued,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a release. “But criminal charges for Trump? It’s a toss-up. There is no consensus.”

The pollsters noted that the proportion of people believing Trump committed a crime was “essentially unchanged” from when the question was asked in early April.

But the poll came in the wake of three public hearings held by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot. The committee has aimed to cut through to the public and make the case that Trump’s claims were connected to the Capitol attack.

A majority of respondents — 58 percent — said they were following news about the committee’s work at least somewhat closely, but 24 percent said they were not watching closely at all. Seventeen percent said they were watching its work not so closely.

The poll surveyed 1,524 adults nationwide from June 17 to June 20, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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