Document Type

Paper

Publication Date

12-12-2025

Abstract

Although loneliness is a growing public health issue in the United States, its political effects remain understudied. This paper seeks to understand the relationship between loneliness and the support of political violence by utilizing the Chapman Survey of American Fears (CSAF Wave 11). This survey, which is a component of the 2025 Chapman Survey of American Fears, includes the three-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, as well as two separate items specifically measuring political violence. Using a national survey (N=1,015), I address the following questions: (1) Are lonely individuals more likely to support violence on political grounds? (2) Does strongly identifying with a political party correlate with higher or lower support for violence? and (3) Is loneliness more consequential for political violence in younger adults? Contrary to the original hypotheses, logistic regression does not support the idea that loneliness is a predictor of support for political violence. In fact, loneliness decreases the personal willingness to engage in political violence by damaging property. On the other hand, younger adults are more likely to support political violence and display a greater level of approval for violent political actions compared to older adults, reflecting a clear generational difference. Partisan identification also does not appear to be a strong predictor of violence in attitudes for non-White and non-Christian individuals. These findings alter the current stereotypes of a “lonely radical” and suggest that loneliness, aggression, and violence are more tied to the restrictions of social behavior than loss of control. This study further highlights the necessity to better define how psychosocial distress interacts with group identity within a social democracy.

Comments

For Political Science 410, taught by Dr. Ann Gordon.

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The author

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