Poll: Americans approve of Jan. 6 committee, 52/34

Many Americans don’t agree on the premise of the House committee’s case: that there was an attempt to halt the certification of the 2020 presidential election to overturn the results. Fewer than half of Americans (46%) definitely say there was an attempt to overturn the election results prior to the official certification of electoral votes, while 26% of Americans say there was not. Three in five Democrats (62%) say there was such an attempt, nearly double the share of Republicans who agree (33%).

Despite this, about half of Americans (52%) approve of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol takeover, while 34% disapprove. Nearly eight in 10 Democrats approve (79%), compared to 21% of Republicans. People who watched parts of the hearing are generally more likely to have an opinion of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol and to approve of its work — which could reflect an effect of watching or could signal that the people who are watching were predisposed to approve, or a combination of the two.