Abstract The 2024 US presidential election unfolded in an environment of heightened polarization, widespread distrust, and unprecedented public anger. Drawing on the Anger Activism Model (AAM), we examined this period of history to assess how anger interacts with external political efficacy to shape opposition toward democratic behaviors and support for partisan and political violence. Using data from a rolling cross‐sectional national survey of US adults ( N = 1713) conducted 5 weeks before the election and 3 weeks after, we found anger predicted tolerance for undemocratic behavior and violence during weak external political efficacy. At low external efficacy, increases in anger were associated with greater support for undemocratic practices and partisan violence. At high external efficacy, only moderate levels of anger were associated with these destructive outcomes. These findings extend the AAM to antisocial political orientations and highlight efficacy as a critical buffer against democratic backsliding in periods of political volatility.
Turner et al. (Wed,) studied this question.