A research article, Public opinion on civil war in the USA as of mid-2024: findings from a nationally representative survey, is discussed in a Psypost article:
A new study has found that most Americans do not expect a civil war to occur in the near future, and even fewer believe such a conflict is necessary. Among those who do foresee participating in such violence, many say they could be persuaded not to take part if encouraged by family, friends, or trusted leaders. These findings come from a large, nationally representative survey conducted in mid-2024 and published in the journal Injury Epidemiology.Participants were asked whether they agreed with statements such as “In the next few years, there will be civil war in the United States” and “The United States needs a civil war to set things right.” Only 6.5% of respondents strongly or very strongly agreed that civil war was likely in the near future, and just 3.6% agreed that such a conflict was needed. These percentages were almost identical to those recorded in the 2023 survey.
The survey also asked respondents how they would behave if a large-scale conflict did occur. Nearly half said they would remain in the U.S. but not participate, and 12.4% said they would be likely to leave the country. A large majority—84.2%—said it was unlikely they would take part in combat. Only 3.7% considered it very or extremely likely that they would do so, and a similar share said they would be likely to kill a combatant.
One has to wonder how many Americans would come to see civil war as necessary or inevitable if they believed the situation with American democracy is as bad as Pxy's analysis linked to and partly posted here yesterday says it is. Most Americans apparently feel that the threat to democracy and the rule of law are serious. But most still seem to feel little to no need or likelihood of civil war. But if a person sees how serious the damage already inflicted has been, then some might come to see civil war as inevitable and/or necessary.
Q: Is it better to be more informed, possibly increasing the possibility of civil war, or is mass ignorance better in a hope that corrupt authoritarianism (dictatorship) does not engulf what is left of our beleaguered democracy, civil liberties and rule of law?
Pxy comments on that matter: The question touches on a fundamental democratic dilemma: whether an informed citizenry reduces or increases the risk of political violence and civil conflict. .... The evidence suggests that strategic ignorance is not a viable solution to preventing political violence. Instead, the focus should be on improving the quality of political discourse, combating misinformation, and addressing the underlying grievances that fuel extremist movements while maintaining democratic transparency and accountability.