In the United States in 2022, ** percent of Republicans reported that they owned at least one gun, and ** percent said that they lived in a household with a gun. In comparison, only ** percent of Democrats owned at least one gun, and ** percent lived in a gun household. Who are gun owners? In 2022, significantly more Democrats were in favor of limiting gun ownership in comparison to Republicans. On the other hand, more Republicans were in favor of protecting the right to own guns in comparison to Democrats. When examined by education level, respondents who said they only had some college, but no degree, were the most likely to have said that there is at least one gun in their household. However, nearly a ******* of Americans over 18 years old said that they rarely carry a gun on their person. Republicans vs Democrats Debate The gun control debate in the United States has been a highly contested one. In light of frequent mass shootings, gun control laws have become the center of policy discussions. Democratic politicians tend to put significant emphasis on their gun control policies, and are overall more in favor of stricter gun control laws and want more background checks for those who want to purchase a gun. However, Republicans tend to work in favor of gun rights.

This statistic shows the percentage of Americans who personally own a gun in 2011 sorted by their preferred political view. In 2011, 41 percent of respondents who defined themselves as Republicans or leaned towards the Republican point of view stated they personally own a gun.

There was a large spike in gun purchases and gun violence during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. We used an online U.S. national survey (N = 1036) to examine the characteristics of people who purchased a gun between March 2020 and October 2021 (n = 103) and compared them to non-gun owners (n = 763) and people who own a gun but did not purchase a gun during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 170). Compared to non-gun owners, pandemic gun buyers were younger and more likely to be male, White race, and to affiliate with the Republican party. Compared to non-gun owners and pre-pandemic gun owners, pandemic gun buyers exhibited extreme elevations on a constellation of political (QAnon beliefs, pro-gun attitudes, Christian Nationalism, approval of former President Donald Trump, anti-vax beliefs, COVID-19 skepticism; mean Cohen’s d = 1.15), behavioral (intimate partner violence, antisocial behavior; mean d = 1.38), mental health (suicidality, depression, anxiety, substance use; mean d = 1.21), and personality (desire for power, belief in a dangerous world, low agreeableness, low conscientiousness; mean d = 0.95) characteristics. In contrast, pre-pandemic gun owners only endorsed more pro-gun attitudes (d = 0.67), lower approval of President Joe Biden (d = -0.41) and were more likely to be male and affiliate with the Republican party relative to non-gun owners. Pandemic gun buyers represent an extreme group in terms of political and psychological characteristics including several risk-factors for violence and self-harm.

This poll, conducted April 13-16, 2005, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency and issues such as the economy and the campaign against terrorism. Respondents were asked how well the United States Congress and their own representatives were doing their jobs, and gave their opinions of the Republican and Democratic parties, House Majority Leader Tom Delay, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and the late Pope John Paul II. Respondents voiced their concerns about the most important problem facing the country, whether the United States did the right thing by taking military action against Iraq, and how well the United States was doing to restore stability in Iraq. A set of questions addressed the recent death of Pope John Paul II, the Catholic church and priesthood, the church's handling of the sexual abuse of children by priests, and the position the next Pope should take on issues such as birth control and the ordainment of women. Additional topics focused on abortion, Social Security, the Patriot Act, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the use of stun guns, gasoline prices, and laws regarding life and death. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, religious affiliation, frequency of religious service attendance, political party affiliation, political philosophy, education level, marital status, household income, voter registration and participation history, gun ownership, and whether there were children in the household.

This statistic shows the share of votes by gun ownership and party in the 2018 midterm elections in the United States on November 6, 2018. According to the exit polls, about ** percent of voters who had a gun in their household voted for Democratic candidates, compared to ** percent of gun owners who voted for Republican candidates.

In the United States in 2023, 45 percent of Republicans reported that they owned at least one gun, and 55 percent said that they lived in a household with a gun. In comparison, only 18 percent of Democrats owned at least one gun, and 29 percent lived in a gun household. Who are gun owners? In 2022, significantly more Democrats were in favor of limiting gun ownership in comparison to Republicans. On the other hand, more Republicans were in favor of protecting the right to own guns in comparison to Democrats. When examined by education level, respondents who said they only had some college, but no degree were the most likely to have said that there is at least one gun in their household. However, nearly a quarter of Americans over 18 years old said that they rarely carry a gun on their person. Republicans vs Democrats Debate The gun control debate in the United States has been a highly contested one. In light of frequent mass shootings, gun control laws have become the center of policy discussions. Democratic politicians tend to put significant emphasis on their gun control policies and are overall more in favor of stricter gun control laws and want more background checks for those who want to purchase a gun. However, Republicans tend to work in favor of gun rights.

This poll, fielded August 15, 1999, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton and the United States Congress. They were also asked to recall the April 1999 high school shooting in Colorado, as well as the recent office shootings in Georgia and Alabama, and the previous week's shooting at a Los Angeles, California, community center and day camp. Their views were sought on the reasons behind those shootings and whether the incidents could have been prevented. A series of questions addressed the issue of gun ownership and gun control in the United States, including the depth of the Second Amendment. On the topic of gun control, respondents were asked whether they believed that regulations should be stricter, including requiring gun manufacturers to put trigger locks/safety devices on guns, extending the waiting period for background checks, requiring a three-day waiting period between when a gun is bought and when it is sold, and requiring gun owners to register each firearm with the government. Those queried were asked whether stricter laws would reduce violent crime. Additional questions addressed respondents' views regarding bans on assault weapons and all handguns, permitting individuals to carry concealed weapons, the National Rifle Association (NRA), and whether Congress would enact stricter gun control laws during 1999. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, race, education, religion, voter registration and participation history, political party, political orientation, Hispanic descent, marital status, gun ownership, computer access, stock market investments, age of children in household, and family income.

Although much attention has been paid to the question of whether violent video games increase aggressive behaviour, little attention has been paid to how such games might encourage antecedents of gun violence. In this study, we examined how product placement, the attractive in-game presentation of certain real-world firearm brands, might encourage gun ownership, a necessary antecedent of gun violence. We sought to study how the virtual portrayal of a real-world firearm (the Bushmaster AR-15) could influence players' attitudes towards the AR-15 in specific and gun ownership in general. College undergraduates (N = 176) played one of four modified video games in a 2 (gun: AR-15 or science-fiction control) ×2 (gun power: strong or weak) between-subjects design. Despite collecting many outcomes and examining many potential covariates and moderators, experimental assignment did little to influence outcomes of product evaluations or purchasing intentions with regard to the AR-15. Attitudes towards public policy and estimation of gun safety were also not influenced by experimental condition, although these might have been better tested by comparison against a no-violence control condition. By contrast, gender and political party had dramatic associations with all outcomes. We conclude that, if product placement shapes attitudes towards firearms, such effects will need to be studied with stronger manipulations or more sensitive measures.

This poll, fielded August 30-September 2, 1999, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked for their opinions of President Bill Clinton and his handling of the presidency. Their opinions were also sought on Vice President Al Gore, the United States Congress, former Red Cross president and Republican presidential hopeful Elizabeth Dole, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Texas Governor George W. Bush, former New Jersey governor and Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Bradley, former Vice President Dan Quayle, Arizona Senator John McCain, multimillionaire publisher Steve Forbes, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, conservative talk show host Alan Keyes, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, and Family Research Council President Gary Bauer. Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding the upcoming 2000 elections, including for whom the respondent intended to vote for president, and the importance of the following issues: gun control, campaign finance reform, tax reduction, Social Security/Medicare, crime, the economy, foreign affairs, education, helping the middle class, environmental protection, budget management, and upholding the dignity of the office of the president. Additional questions addressed which political party would best represent the American people on those issues. Respondents were asked to compare Gore and Bradley in the following areas: honesty and ethics, leadership, innovation, experience, personality, and capability of bringing change to Washington. A series of questions focused on gun control, including Congress's handling of the issue, proposed stricter gun laws, and the influence of the National Rifle Association (NRA) over gun control. Additional topics covered how Clinton will be remembered in history, who was to blame for his impeachment, how the Clinton scandal would affect Gore's presidential campaign, the Republican call for an $800 billion tax cut over the next ten years, how the federal budget surplus should be used, abortion, and whether Bush should answer questions regarding prior cocaine use. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, political party, political orientation, education, religion, voter registration and participation history, gun ownership, size of city of residence, labor union membership, Hispanic descent, and family income.

This poll, fielded August 1-3, 1999, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, the United States Congress, First Lady Hillary Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, Texas governor George W. Bush, and former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley. Those queried were asked for their views regarding the National Rifle Association (NRA), stricter laws regulating the sale of handguns, and a ban on handgun sales to everyone except law enforcement officials. A series of questions addressed the respondent's knowledge of, access to, and familiarity with computers, specifically the Internet. Areas of investigation included the importance of knowing how to navigate and use the Internet, whether parents knew as much as their children about the Internet, whether the respondent had visited inappropriate sites, and whether the benefits of the Internet outweighed the negative aspects. Respondents with children who used the Internet were asked a series of questions about their child's activities, including at what age the child began using the Internet, whether the parent or the child was most familiar with its capabilities, for what purpose the child used the Internet, whether adult supervision was present when the child was at the computer, and whether the parent had ever installed a Web monitor to watch and/or restrict the child's Internet sessions. An additional question addressed whether federal regulations should be placed on the Internet. On another topic, respondents were asked for their views on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Questions addressed the value of NASA's efforts to land a man on the moon and space exploration program spending in general, whether attempts should be made to send an astronaut to Mars, and whether the respondent would travel to outer space if given the opportunity. Views were also sought on the upcoming 2000 presidential election, including the Democratic and Republican primaries/caucuses. Respondents were asked for whom they intended to vote: Gore, Bradley, Bush, Arizona senator John McCain, former Vice President Dan Quayle, publisher Steve Forbes, conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, Family Research Council president Gary Bauer, talk show host Alan Keyes, Utah senator Orrin Hatch, former American Red Cross president Elizabeth Dole, and former Tennessee governor Lamar Alexander. A series of questions addressed the relationship between President Clinton and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, including whether this relationship was a personal or a private matter, whether Congress handled the impeachment process appropriately, whether the outcome was acceptable, and how the respondent viewed the recent indictment of Pentagon employee Linda Tripp by a Maryland grand jury for breaking wiretapping laws when she taped telephone conversations between herself and Lewinsky. A final question asked respondents what they believed to be the reason for Mark Barton's July 29, 1999, shooting spree in Atlanta, GA, that resulted in the death of his family and nine office employees. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, race, political party, political orientation, marital status, education, religion, Hispanic descent, voter registration and participation history, gun ownership, stock market investments, computer access, age of children in household, and family income.

This special topic poll, fielded June 21-29, 2000, queried residents of New York State on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, New York State Governor George Pataki, Republican Senate candidate Rick Lazio, First Lady/Democratic Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, and former State Senator Al D'Amato. Respondents were asked a series of questions regarding the current race for the United States Senate in New York and the presidential election. Issues addressed included respondents' feelings about abortion, whether vouchers should be issued to pay for private schooling, how best to deal with the budget surplus, and whether all guns should be registered with the state. Additionally, respondents were asked for their views on the nature of the Senate campaign, the importance of candidates' political experience, the relevance of a candidate being a naturalized New York citizen, and whether the current Senate campaign tactics were overly divisive. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, race, education, religion, voter registration and participation history, political party, political orientation, Hispanic descent, marital status, gun ownership, computer access, stock market investments, age of children in household, and family income.

This special topic poll explored issues of concern to residents of New Jersey, focusing primarily on the 1993 gubernatorial race between Jim Florio and Christine Todd Whitman. Questions specific to the campaign assessed respondents' opinions of the two candidates, the voting intentions of respondents, Jim Florio's performance as governor with regard to his handling of taxes and automobile insurance, Whitman's relationship to the National Rifle Association, Florio's closeness to Clinton, the effect that each candidate would have on taxes if elected, and the honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, ability, and experience of Florio and Whitman. General questions concerned the future of New Jersey, the New Jersey state legislature, the New Jersey economy, assault weapons, the National Rifle Association, welfare benefits for children born to welfare mothers, the New Jersey public schools, Ross Perot, moving the New York Yankees to New Jersey, and the Clinton presidency. Background information on respondents includes voter registration status, financial situation, employment situation, crime victimization, vote choice in the 1992 presidential election, in the 1990 New Jersey election for the United States Senate, and in the 1989 New Jersey gubernatorial election, gun ownership, political party, political orientation, religion, education, household income, age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin.

Texas was the state with the highest number of registered weapons in the United States in 2024, with 1,136,732 firearms. Rhode Island, on the other hand, had the least, with 4,895 registered firearms. Gun laws in the United States Gun ownership in the U.S. is protected by the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution, which allows citizens to own firearms and form a militia if necessary. Outside of the 2nd Amendment, gun laws in the U.S. vary from state to state, and gun owners are subject to the laws of the state they are currently in, not necessarily the state they live in. For example, if concealed carry is allowed in a gun owner’s state of residence but not in the state they are traveling in, the owner is subject to the law of the state they are traveling in. Civilian-owned firearms The United States is estimated to have the highest rate of civilian-owned firearms in the world, more than double that of Yemen, which has the second-highest gun ownership rate. Unfortunately, along with high gun ownership rates comes a higher number of homicides by firearm, which was about 13,529 homicides in 2023.

This data collection is a nationwide survey of issues surrounding assault weapons. Topics covered include legislation regulating the importation, sale, and manufacture of assault weapons, the sale and use of handguns, and the National Rifle Association. Respondents also were asked to rate the performance of George Bush as president and to specify what they thought was the most important problem facing the country. Background information on respondents includes political party affiliation, sex, age, education, firearm ownership, and race.

This poll, conducted after President George Bush's 1992 State of the Union address, asked respondents to rate the way things were going in the United States, indicate whether the future for the next generation of Americans would be better, give their approval rating of George Bush with respect to his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, and the economy, and give their approval rating of Congress. The survey posed questions pertaining to the 1992 presidential campaign, the national economy, tax cuts, improving education, making health care affordable, reducing the federal budget deficit, ending the recession, protecting family values, defense spending, the Persian Gulf War, priorities in federal spending, and the financial situation of respondents compared to four years ago. Respondents were also asked whether Bush or a Democratic president would do a better job dealing with issues such as trade with Japan, abortion, the needs of the middle class, race relations, and gaining respect for the United States from other countries. Additional questions covered topics including federal loans to college students, national health insurance, Bill Clinton, job discrimination against women and Blacks, the impact of the collapse of the Soviet Union and continued threats from Iran and Iraq on defense spending, welfare, the assassination of John Kennedy, Social Security, marital infidelity among presidential candidates, handguns, assault weapons, the National Rifle Association, the Super Bowl, and whether the respondent had seen the film "JFK." Background information on respondents includes sex, age, race, marital status, parental status, employment, education, religious preference, family income, political orientation, party preference, 1988 presidential vote choice, and gun ownership.

The share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since 1972, hovering between 37 percent and 47 percent. In 2024, about 48 percent of U.S. households had at least one gun in their possession. Additional information on firearms in the United States Firearms command a higher degree of cultural significance in the United States than any other country in the world. Since the inclusion of the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, firearms have held symbolic power beyond their already obvious material power. Despite many Americans being proud gun-owners, a large movement exists within the country in opposition to the freedom afforded to those in possession of these potentially deadly weapons. Those opposed to current gun regulation have sourced their anger from the large number of deaths due to firearms in the country, as well as the high frequency of gun violence apparent in comparison to other developed countries. Furthermore, the United States has fallen victim to a number of mass shootings in the last two decades, most of which have raised questions over the ease at which a person can obtain a firearm. Although this movement holds a significant position in the public political discourse of the United States, meaningful change regarding the legislation dictating the ownership of firearms has not occurred. Critics have pointed to the influence possessed by the National Rifle Association through their lobbying of public officials. The National Rifle Association also lobbies for the interests of firearm manufacturing in the United States, which has continued to rise since a fall in the early 2000s.

This poll, fielded May 10-13, 2000, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President Bill Clinton, the United States Congress, Vice President Al Gore, Texas Governor George W. Bush, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, Arizona Senator John McCain, and conservative commentator Pat Buchanan. Respondents were also asked for their opinions on the effectiveness of the Clinton Administration and the United States Congress, as well as the effectiveness of government in general and the election process in particular. Those queried were asked whether there were any differences between the two major candidates for president, if the candidates were typical representatives of their respective parties, and how relevant character issues were in the campaign. Views were also sought about the role of the Religious Right, the best way to manage Social Security/Medicare, defense spending, and the status of the public school system. Background information on respondents includes age, sex, race, education, religion, voter registration and participation history, political party, political orientation, Hispanic descent, marital status, gun ownership, computer access, stock market investments, age of children in household, and family income.

The research project, funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, investigates the consequences of online media presence for political preferences and behaviour. The study was conducted by YouGov USA. During the survey period 23 April 2018 to 15 October 2019, American citizens aged 18 and older with internet access were surveyed in online interviews (CAWI) on the following topics: political preferences and political behaviour, use of social media, media use, attitudes towards specific topics, political knowledge, opinions on the regulation of online harassment. Respondents were selected through quota sampling from an online access panel.
1. Political preferences and political behaviour: party identification; ideological self-location; registered as a voter; voting behaviour in the 2016 presidential election; interest in politics; frequency following government and public affairs; party preference; approval of Donald Trump´s work as president; approval of Congress´s work; likelihood of own voting in the midterm elections on 6/11/2018; likability scales for selected countries, politicians and groups of people; social distance from supporters of the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and Trump; individual characteristics: Gun ownership, foreign language skills, travel outside the US, family member served in the military, attended a political rally in the past year; national attachment; exaggerated patriotism (chauvinism); expected winner of House of Representatives election; expected national vote share of Democratic Party; voting intention in November 2018 midterm elections; preferred party to control Congress after midterm elections; preference for Republican vs. of Democrats in own constituency as Congressman; expected election winner in own constituency; certainty of own assessment regarding expected election winner; opinion on impeachment proceedings against President Trump; feeling constrained in political discussions; participation in midterm elections and voting decision regarding Congressman; justification of system (scale); opinion on regulation of economy in the following areas: Drones, self-driving cars, internet companies´ handling of user data, finance, health insurance, oil, gas, social media providers´ handling of user data; preferences regarding regulation of leading tech companies; opinion on higher taxes for incomes over 10 million dollars; opinion on withdrawal of all American troops from Afghanistan within one year; heterogeneity of own newsfeed on Twitter (estimated percentage liberals, moderates, conservatives).

1. Use of social media: account on selected social media sites; frequency of reception of political news or comments on Twitter and Facebook from different sources (friends, relatives, acquaintances, news organisations and journalists, politicians, parties or political campaigns, other followees, companies); proportion of accounts sharing one´s own political views (diversity of political views); frequency of political usage behaviour on Twitter and Facebook (tweeting or (tweeting or posting one´s views on current political issues, sharing news with followers, reading news articles from people one follows, reading news or information from politicians or parties, reading personal opinions of contacts on political issues, liking political information or opinions, political conversations).

2. Media use: frequency of political information from various sources (TV, newspapers or printed magazines, radio, online media, social media, face-to-face conversations); frequency of use of selected news sites and news programmes on TV, daily newspapers and cable news programmes; perceptions of selected news sources; general trust vs. distrust in known news sources about government and politics; trust in media; (press, Facebook); major news outlets treat all sides fairly vs. tend to favour one side when presenting political and social issues; trust in Huffington Post and Fox News; opinion on news organisations´ criticism of political leaders.

3. Attitude towards political issues: most important political issues in the USA; attitude towards various statements on the following domestic and foreign policy issues: Black Lives Matter movement, climate change, corporations, relief for the poor, entry into war, gun control laws, international cooperation, international trade, Islam, isolation, marijuana, military strength, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), North Korea, regulation of corporations or the the technology industry, sexual harassment (mee too), President Trump´s right to pardon, cooperation with the United Nations, wall on the border with Mexico; opinion on current political issues: thorough investigation by the FBI of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, dealing with young immigrants (Dreamers), regulation of technology companies, dealing with North Korea; particularly important issues and problems in the USA; political trade-offs on various issues (e....

This poll, second of three fielded March 2013, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicits public opinion on a range of political and social issues. Respondents were asked how Barack Obama was handling the presidency, the economy, federal budget deficit, taxes, and foreign policy. Opinions were also collected on Obama's relationship with Israel, respondents' attention to the violence in Syria, and whether North Korea and Iran were threats to the United States. Further questions asked whether respondents approve of the way Congress and the Supreme Court were handling their jobs, and whether they had favorable opinions of the Republican and Democratic parties. Respondents were also asked their opinions on gun control laws, the health care law enacted in 2010, and same-sex marriage/relationships. A variety of questions addressed the condition of the national economy, the budget sequestration, the job market, the stock market, and the federal budget deficit. Demographic information includes sex, age, race, gun ownership, voter registration status, marital status, number of children in the household, education level, household income, religious preference, type of residential area (e.g., urban or rural), political party affiliation, political philosophy, and whether respondents thought of themselves as born-again Christians.

According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2023, people with some college but no college degree were more likely to personally own a gun or live in a gun owning household. At this time, 38 percent of Americans with some college personally owned a firearm, compared to 29 percent of those with a high school degree or less and 26 percent of college graduates.