White Supremacy and the January 6 Insurrection: Mass Opinion and the Mainstreaming of “Great Replacement” Theory

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that white supremacist values have been mainstreamed in the United States, and that the values driving the male supremacist and white supremacist movements are significant in fueling mass sympathy for January 6th (J6). To examine the white and male supremacy questions in relation to J6, we draw on a national survey from IPSOS. We also commissioned a poll with Harris Insights. The IPSOS poll was conducted from July 30 to August 16, 2021, and includes a nationally representative sample of 5,299 Americans. The Harris poll was conducted from October 20–25, 2022, and contacted a nationally representative sample of 2,029 Americans. We argue that J6 should be understood at the nexus point between white supremacist, populist, and fascist politics, not only in terms of the values driving the insurrectionists, but those in the mass public who are sympathetic to them. Right-wing populism, we believe, privileges white supremacy and white nationalism, male supremacy and political leadership that relies on an appeal to the cult of patriarchal personality, trust in the wisdom of “the people,” and distrust of political leaders – particularly Democratic leaders – who are framed as “corrupt,” “out of touch” “elites” working against the public good and democracy.