Fact check: What are the most recent statistics on left-wing and right-wing violence in the United States?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided present a complex and multifaceted view of left-wing and right-wing violence in the United States. According to ^[1], a survey found that Americans express roughly equal levels of concern about left-wing and right-wing extremism and violence, with 33% saying violence is perpetrated mostly by the left and 29% saying it is carried out mostly by the right ^[1]. Another source, ^[2], reports that 87% of respondents consider political violence a problem, and 72% believe violence is never justified to achieve political goals ^[2]. In contrast, ^[3] states that right-wing extremist violence has been responsible for the overwhelming majority of fatalities, approximately 75% to 80% of U.S. domestic terrorism deaths since 2001 ^[3]. Additionally, ^[4] reports that between 2010 and 2021, there were 231 incidents of domestic terrorism in the United States, with about 35% classified as racially or ethnically motivated ^[4]. ^[5] notes that politically motivated violence is rare in the United States, accounting for about 0.35 percent of all murders since 1975 ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context in the original statement is the definition of left-wing and right-wing violence, as different sources may have different criteria for classification ^{[1] [3]}. Furthermore, ^[6] mentions that domestic terrorism remains a persistent threat, but does not provide specific statistics on left-wing and right-wing violence ^[6]. Alternative viewpoints are also present, such as ^[7], which discusses the rise of 'assassination culture' and reports on survey data showing that over 30% of respondents believe it would be justified to murder prominent billionaires ^[7]. Another alternative viewpoint is presented by ^[8], which provides historical context for political violence in the United States, noting that it is not unprecedented ^[8]. The sources ^[2] and ^[5] highlight the importance of considering the normalization of political violence and the rarity of politically motivated violence, respectively ^{[2] [5]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be biased towards presenting a false equivalence between left-wing and right-wing violence, as some sources suggest that right-wing extremist violence is more prevalent and deadly ^[3]. On the other hand, sources like ^[7] may be promoting a narrative that left-wing violence is a growing concern, which could be misleading ^[7]. The ^[1] survey finding that Americans express roughly equal levels of concern about left-wing and right-wing extremism and violence may be influenced by partisan biases ^[1]. Additionally, the lack of clear definitions and criteria for classification of left-wing and right-wing violence in the original statement may lead to misinformation ^{[1] [3]}. The sources ^[6] and ^[9] from the Federal Bureau of Investigation provide a more neutral perspective, focusing on the threat of domestic terrorism and the need for strategic intelligence assessment ^{[6] [9]}.