Americans call for greater unity in wake of Charlie Kirk shooting
Washington DC, September 16, 2025 – An overwhelming share of Americans (90%) say there’s an urgent need for greater unity among Americans, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted shortly after the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk. Calls for greater unity span political groups and come at a time when many feel the country is nearing a breaking point in its political divisions.
Americans continue to widely reject violent acts and threats in pursuit of political goals. Overall, 92% disagree that it’s acceptable to use violence to achieve a political goal, including more than nine-in-ten Republicans, Democrats, and independents. The country’s political discourse is seen as one contributor to political violence: 94% of U.S. adults say the way people talk about political issues in the country today encourages acts of violence among Americans.
The survey also finds that nearly all Americans have heard at least something about the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk. Two in three (68%) say they have heard “a lot” about the incident, while 26% say they have heard “a little.” Just 6% say they have heard nothing at all about the incident.
About the Study
This Ipsos poll was conducted in partnership with Reuters from September 12-14, 2025, using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample of 1,037 adults age 18 or older.
The data for the total sample were weighted to adjust for gender by age, race/ethnicity, education, Census region, metropolitan status, and household income. Political party identification benchmarks are from the 2025 National Public Opinion Reference Survey (NPORS). The demographic benchmarks came from the 2024 March Supplement of the Current Population Survey (CPS).
- Gender (Male, Female) by Age (18–29, 30–44, 45-59 and 60+)
- Race/Hispanic Ethnicity (White Non-Hispanic, Black Non-Hispanic, Other, Non-Hispanic, Hispanic, 2+ Races, Non-Hispanic)
- Education (Less than High School, High School, Some College, Bachelor or higher)
- Census Region (Northeast, Midwest, South, West)
- Metropolitan status (Metro, non-Metro)
- Household Income (Under $25,000, $25,000-$49,999, $50,000-$74,999, $75,000-$99,999, $100,000-$149,999, $150,000+)
- Party ID (Republican, Leans Republican, Independent/Other, Democrat, Leans Democrat)
The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level for results based on the entire sample of adults. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect, which was 1.10. The margin of sampling error is higher and varies for results based on sub-samples. In our reporting of the findings, percentage points are rounded off to the nearest whole number. As a result, percentages in a given table column may total slightly higher or lower than 100%. In questions that permit multiple responses, columns may total substantially more than 100%, depending on the number of different responses offered by each respondent.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
Alec Tyson
Senior Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
Annaleise Azevedo Lohr
Vice President, US
Public Affairs
[email protected]
About Ipsos
Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing nearly 20,000 people.
Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.
“Game Changers” – our tagline – summarizes our ambition to help our 5,000 clients navigate with confidence our rapidly changing world.
Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has been listed on the Euronext Paris since July 1, 1999. The company is part of the SBF 120, Mid-60 indices, and is eligible for the Deferred Settlement Service (SRD).
ISIN code FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP
35 rue du Val de Marne
75 628 Paris, Cedex 13 France
Tel. +33 1 41 98 90 00
