Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Gen Z and the Dangerous Allure of Political Violence

Gen Z and the Dangerous Allure of Political Violence

The American Flag on pavement with a hole in the center.

Getty Images, Vlad Yushinov

A 17-year-old Wisconsin teenager wanted to kill the president, overthrow the United States government, and kickstart a revolution – so he shot dead his mother and stepfather. This weekend, the FBI revealed that Nikita Casap lived for weeks with their decomposing bodies and stole $14,000 to “obtain the financial means” to assassinate President Trump, the first domino in his far-right extremist plan.

This is not the first time we’ve seen a young man use violence for political ends. Luigi Mangione murdered Brian Thompson, UnitedHealthcare CEO, citing criticisms of the U.S. healthcare system as justification for the murder. Dylann Roof hoped to incite a race war when he walked into a Black church and gunned down nine people. Kyle Rittenhouse traveled to a Black Lives Matter protest with an AR-15-style weapon and fatally shot two people.


Support for political violence among young Americans is disturbingly high. We must take these attitudes seriously and confront them, lest we see more Mangiones, Roofs, Rittenhouses, and now Casaps normalize violence (or the threat of it) as a means to achieve political goals.

Following the first assassination attempt against Trump, about 12% of young Republicans support violence against partisan leaders engaging in financial crimes or corruption. While the perpetrator in Wisconsin identified with a far-right terrorist organization, young people on the left also harbor high levels of support for political violence. In a recent survey (post-Mangione shooting), 38% of Democrats aged 18-34 support the use of violence if a CEO has pursued harmful or exploitative policies. Among the general population, support for killing or harming officials hovers around 6-7%, with Independents slightly more supportive than Democrats or Republicans. Casap’s case illustrates how political violence can twist expectations and transcend partisan lines – he plotted to kill Trump but identified with a far-right terrorist organization.

Historically, political violence follows a pattern: people on the left tend towards property violence while individuals on the right are more likely to attack people. But among young people, these lines are beginning to blur. That could spiral America into tit-for-tat, eye-for-an-eye, retaliatory violence between young people across the ideological divide.

Not only does Gen Z tend to support political violence at higher rates than other age groups, they value democracy less. While 90% of Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers rate living in a democracy as important, only 62% of Gen Z say the same. Similarly concerning, first-time gun owners in the U.S. are increasingly younger. A generation growing in political power that views violence as a viable tool for policy change and democracy as optional erodes the legitimacy of our democratic institutions.

This generation is not a monolith, of course. About a third are largely disengaged, according to a recent Tufts study. Surprisingly, those who care most about democracy are also, unfortunately, pretty apathetic. What is really concerning is that it’s the most politically engaged and activist – just over 10% – who are also the most likely to justify violence to achieve their policy goals. As a fellow Gen-Zer, I urge us to change course.

I long assumed that nonviolent movements were so successful in part because violent factions made them a palatable alternative – think MLK Jr. and Malcolm X. However, research found that organized armed violent flanks actually increase the chances that nonviolent movements fail, decrease the chance of democratization following the movement, and increase polarization. Political violence is not only wrong, it doesn’t work. While we face significant trials in this country today, there remain nonviolent means to make our voices heard. We must push back against the normalization of political violence in this country and not respond in kind.

This we should be able to agree on – there is nothing political about condemning violence, lest we sanction a society dominated by the weaponization of fear. We must confront online radicalization, the martyrdom of perpetrators, and the dehumanization of victims across the ideological spectrum. Reinforcing and rebuilding a shared norm condemning political violence will not be accomplished lightly nor quickly. But to prevent the disillusionment of our youth from fomenting a violent, polarized, civically disengaged generation, we must act. What would have happened if Casap had succeeded in murdering Trump to start his civil war? To avoid finding out, we need to recognize the dangerous attitudes growing among young people and find the bravery and leadership to start speaking up.

Dalya Berkowitz is a Research Analyst in the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, focusing on targeted and political violence in the U.S. She has an MA in Security Studies from Georgetown University.

Read More

Just the Facts: North Korea’s Nuclear Program Any More. Have We Reached an Agreement?

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the South and North Korea on June 30, 2019 in Panmunjom, South Korea.

Getty Images, Handout

Just the Facts: North Korea’s Nuclear Program Any More. Have We Reached an Agreement?

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, we remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces. However, before our readers can analyze varying viewpoints, they must have the facts.

We haven't heard much about North Korea's nuclear program lately, not because there's been a breakthrough agreement, but because the situation has largely hardened into a new, more dangerous normal.

Keep ReadingShow less
Meet the Faces of Democracy: Spenser Mestel

Since his first Election Day as a poll worker in 2012, Mestel has worked two more presidential elections, two primary elections, and a municipal election.

Issue One

Meet the Faces of Democracy: Spenser Mestel

More than 10,000 officials across the country run U.S. elections. This interview is part of a series highlighting the election heroes who are the faces of democracy.

Spenser Mestel, a registered Democrat, worked as a poll worker for over a decade in Brooklyn, the largest borough in New York City. Across just 300 square miles of land, New York City is home to over 4.7 million active registered voters spanning five boroughs (and coextensive counties). Nearly a third of those voters are located in Brooklyn, which is located in Kings County and is home to the most active voters in the state of New York at about 1.5 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
America Is Losing Its Light
New legislation would convene Congress at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, the site of the Declaration of Independence’s signing on July 4, 1776, for the 250th anniversary on July 2, 2026.
Getty Images, Douglas Rissing

America Is Losing Its Light

America has been, for most of its 250-year history, a beacon to the rest of the world. It has been a light of freedom and humanity—regardless of its own failings—in a world in which there has been little freedom and humanity. In a world where the 20th century saw the rise of dictators for whom the words freedom and humanity were of no use, where the peoples of Europe, Russia, and China were subjected to unspeakable horrors and daily deprivations.

In some countries, like Germany and Italy, the citizens voted these misbegotten men into office. These men did not hide what they wanted to do. But they were forceful, charismatic men, and the despair of the people resulted in their being hailed as God-like creatures: der Führer and il Duce. All the powers in those countries—politicians, judges, the military, educators—bent their knees to these elected dictators and swore absolute subservience to their leader.

Keep ReadingShow less