Americans are frustrated by what they see as “uncivil” behavior in political life

The new Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service Battleground Civility Poll released Thursday finds an overwhelming number of Americans are frustrated by what they see as “uncivil” behavior in political life, reports The Hill’s Darcy Palder. And many of those Americans are blaming social media.

The poll found that 90 percent are concerned about “uncivil and rude behavior” from political figures. Seventy-eight percent find President Trump responsible for the lack of civility, with more holding special interest groups (at 81 percent) and social media (also 81 percent) “very or somewhat” responsible.

Six percent said social media was only responsible a little bit, with 7 percent saying it was not responsible at all and 6 percent unsure.

Republicans were more likely to blame social media. Eighty-eight percent of self-identified Republicans found social media “very” or “somewhat” responsible for bad political behavior, with 73 percent of Democrats saying the same and 80 percent of independents.