Republican Confidence in Direction U.S. is Taking Collapses After Kirk Shooting, Poll Finds

Republican confidence in the direction of the United States has dropped sharply following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to a new AP-NORC poll published on Friday.

The survey, conducted days after Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University, found that only about half of Republicans now say the country is headed in the right direction, down from 70%in June. The decline is most pronounced among Republican women and those under 45.

Overall, the survey revealed that just one-quarter of Americans say the country is on the right track, compared with four in ten three months ago. Democrats and independents did not shift significantly.

Republicans who participated in the poll pointed to political violence, deepening social discord, and ongoing economic concerns. "I've spent a lot of time worrying about the worsening political discourse and, now, the disturbing assassinations," said Chris Bahr, a 42-year-old Republican from suburban Houston. "If you'd have talked to me two weeks ago, I wouldn't have brought it up as a main concern ... but now it's violence."

The poll highlights the scale of the shift, as analysts note that the drop in GOP optimism surpasses the decline seen after Donald Trump lost reelection in 2020 and is more comparable to the downturn in public mood during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among Republicans under 45, 61% now say the country is headed in the wrong direction, a 30-point increase since June. Among Republican women, three-quarters say the nation is on the wrong track, up from 27%.

Former President Trump has blamed the "radical left" for Kirk's death and said his administration is considering new measures targeting progressive groups. For many Republicans, however, everyday concerns such as inflation, jobs, and crime also factor heavily into their pessimism. "It seems like you can't catch a break," said truck driver Mustafa Robinson of Pennsylvania. "We are supposed to be united as a country ... and we are not. And now people are being shot."