FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2024

New survey results indicate that concerns over harassment, threats, and physical attacks have significantly increased in the wake of high-profile incidents like the shooting of former President Trump.

Princeton, NJ – In partnership with CivicPulse, Princeton University’s Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is releasing the latest benchmarking report from our ongoing survey of local officials on their experiences of threats and harassment. The eighth report provides updated findings from the Q2 2024 nationally representative survey, with responses from over 400 local elected officials — as well as 200 school board officials — putting the total number of participants across all eight survey waves at more than 3,500. 

This round of respondents was the first to be surveyed in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at former President Trump’s campaign rally in July. While levels of hostility faced by local elected officials remained consistently high from Q1 to Q2 ahead of the assassination attempt, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of local elected officials that said they were worried about future threats, harassment, and physical attacks following the shooting and moving into the election period. Complementary event-level data collected by BDI on threats and harassment against a wider set of local officials – including elected officials and school board members as well as election officials, health officials, judicial officials, and more – indicates that reported incidents surged after the shooting in July, before returning to levels consistent with those recorded earlier in the year in August.

This research is produced as part of a joint project launched by BDI and CivicPulse in 2022 to conduct representative national surveys of local officials on their experiences facing threats and harassment. These quarterly updates allow us to identify spikes or shifts in hostility and track important trends in threats and harassment during the 2024 election cycle.

Q2 2024 Updates

(1) Compared to Q1, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of local elected officials that reported being worried about themselves or their families facing harassment, threats, or physical attacks in Q2

• In Q1, 40% of surveyed elected officials said they were worried about being harassed, 30% about being threatened, and 13% about being attacked. In Q2, these numbers rose significantly: 45% expressed worry about being harassed, 34% about being threatened, and 19% about being attacked.

• This trend was particularly pronounced for women: there was a statistically significant rise in the proportion of women elected officials that reported being worried about an attack on them or their families, from 14% in Q1 to 21% in Q2.

• These increases come in the context of the approaching election and the Trump rally shooting, which occurred between the two 2024 survey waves.

Consistent Trends

(1) Levels of reported hostility among local officials — including more severe experiences such as harassment, threats, and attacks — did not significantly shift during the quarter and remain high

• Overall, nearly half of all surveyed officials — both local elected officials and school board officials — have reported being insulted, a third have reported harassment, and one in six have reported threats in any given three-month window, posing substantial challenges for the safety and wellbeing of local officials, as well as the health of local government.

(2) Disproportionately more women and minority officials report experiencing hostility compared to their counterparts

• Across eight surveys in the last two years, 22% of female elected officials reported threats in contrast to 16% of male officials in any given three-month period. Likewise, 24% of minority elected officials reported threats in contrast to 18% of non-minority officials. Both differences are statistically significant. 
   
• Worry about hostility is significantly higher for women relative to men: for example, one in seven women elected officials worry about attacks on themselves or their families compared to just over one in 20 men. Similarly, disproportionately more minority elected officials worry about hostility compared to their non-minority counterparts: for example, nearly one in four minority officials worry about attacks on themselves or their families compared to one in eight non-minority officials.
   
• Women of color serving as local officials have also reported significantly higher levels of insults, harassment, and threats — as well as worry about such hostility — compared to other officials.

(3) Local officials who have experienced hostile events continue to report decreased willingness to participate in political processes, like seeking re-election or attending public events

• After controlling for political party, gender, and age, experiences of hostility while working as an elected official are linked to a statistically significant decrease in willingness to: run for a higher office, work on controversial topics, attend events in public spaces, go out in public when not working, and post on social media.
   
• Female and minority officials are significantly less willing to participate in these activities following experiences of hostility compared to their male and non-minority counterparts.
   
  • For example, 50% of female local elected officials report a decreased willingness to run for re-election compared to just 35% of their male counterparts.
     
  • Women of color, in particular, are significantly less likely to run for re-election, post on social media, attend events in public spaces, work on controversial topics, and go out in public as a result of hostility.

(4) Severe forms of hostility continue to cut across party lines — a trend that has remained consistent across all eight surveys in the last two years.

• While Democratic and Independent local elected officials report significantly higher levels of insults and worry, rates of severe hostility – such as harassment, threats, and attacks – do not differ substantially by party.

Quarterly surveys from BDI and CivicPulse of municipal, county, township, and school board officials will continue in 2024.

For inquiries, please reach out to BDI Communications Manager Sam Jones at [email protected].

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The Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is a non-partisan research initiative based at Princeton University that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI seeks to contribute to a future where thriving communities are prepared to respond in periods of risk, are empowered to address the long-term divides we face as a society, and are supported to build a pluralistic, multi-racial democracy.

CivicPulse is a non-partisan, non-profit research organization seeking to promote more effective governance in the United States through improved access to reliable data, benchmarking, and research. We accomplish this by bridging the gap between top-tier academic research in politics, governance, and public administration and the needs of elected officials, civil servants, and community stakeholders.

The survey program is conducted as part of BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment Against Local Officials (UTH) project, a mixed methods approach to systematically monitor the full scope of threats and harassment facing local officials across the United States. Powered by a consortium of key information and data contributors, the project aims to develop and advance a shared framework for understanding – and countering – hostile incidents targeting local officials. The project is supported by the Brennan Center for Justice, the Bipartisan Policy Center, and generous flexible support from BDI’s core funders, following essential start-up funds from the Anti-Defamation League and Stand Together Trust.