During the January 6th Committee’s first two televised hearings, prosecutors revealed sworn testimony by Trump’s inner circle proving that he and his MAGA allies knowingly spread false conspiracies in a bid to overturn the 2020 election. The American people are watching the investigation closely—with more than 20 million viewers tuning in for the first hearings and 100+ watch events being held across the country. Polling shows that the vast majority of Americans support the investigation, and want to hold the politicians who planned and supported the attack accountable for their actions. There is more than enough evidence that MAGA Republicans, alongside Trump himself, planned, promoted, and paid for a criminal conspiracy to overturn an election they lost.
Polling Indicates Broad Support for the January 6th Committee
Navigator Research Finds Most Americans Believe It Is Important To Uncover The Truth About January 6th. 52 percent of Americans, including 80 percent of Democrats, 45 of independents, and 24 of Republicans, believe it is important to investigate what happened on January 6th. A majority (52%) also agree that it can be investigated alongside other important policy priorities. [Navigator Research, 6/16/22]
Lake Research Finds Most Americans Want To Hold Politicians Who Encouraged January 6th Attack Accountable. According to Lake Research, a majority (54%) of Americans want to hold “the politicians who encouraged, supported, and aided the attackers” accountable for their actions—as well as “the Members of Congress who encouraged the attacks by spreading lies about the election.” 66% of Americans support “formally entering into public record that these Members of Congress did something wrong.”
CBS News Poll Finds Americans Strongly Support Getting To The Bottom Of What Occurred On January 6th, Immediately Prior To Public Hearings. “Ahead of the House select committee’s first public hearings on its investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, most Americans — 70% — think it’s at least somewhat important to find out what happened on that day and who was involved.” [CBS, 6/9/22]
Morning Consult/Politico Survey Finds The Majority Of Americans Back The January 6 Panel And Blame Trump For The Day’s Events. “More voters approve of the panel than they have in months” with “most voters say[ing] Trump was ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ responsible for the events that led to the attack on the Capitol.” [Morning Consult/Politico, 6/13/22]
Ratings For The First Two Hearings Are Significant
20 Million Americans Watched The First Primetime January 6th Committee Hearing, On Par With A Sunday Night Football Game. An audience of at least 20 million people reportedly watched the first hearing of the January 6th Committee—even after Fox refused to air the proceeding. The first hearing became the most-watched program in over two months, with ratings on-par with cultural events, “like a big “Sunday Night Football” game or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” and nearly doubled those of Trump’s second impeachment trial. Nielsen also found that viewership remained steady between 8 and 10 p.m., meaning viewers generally stuck around for the entire event. [New York Times, 6/10/22; Axios, 6/14/22]
Daytime Second Hearing Drew Millions More Viewers Than Recent Primetime Award Shows. More than 11 million people tuned in for the committee’s first daytime hearing on Jun. 13, outpacing the ratings of even flagship primetime award shows including the Emmy Awards, Grammy Awards, Tony Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. [LA Times, 6/14/22, 4/4/22]
Americans Are Watching Closely
Over A Hundred Watch Events Were Held Across The Country The Night Of The First Hearing. 100+ watch events were hosted in dozens of states across the country on the evening of the first hearing. One event hosted outside the Capitol in Washington D.C drew crowds of over 350 attendees. An attendee reportedly stated, “It’s important to have a record in history…I want it to remind the public of the mayhem and insanity that happened.” [New York Times, 6/9/22]Washington Post: How Americans Feel About The Jan. 6 Hearings So Far. “Mike Patterson…calls himself a staunch conservative and said that the hearings have been ‘very enlightening,’ persuading him that the 2020 election was ‘probably not’ rigged. The committee successfully debunked the idea that ballot boxes in Georgia had been planted to swing that state’s votes to Joe Biden, Patterson said. He now believes Trump was wrong to keep hammering away with the false claim that he won the election.” [Washington Post, 6/16/22]
