More Republicans now call Jan. 6 a "legitimate protest" than a "riot"

In addition, the poll shows more Republicans regard Jan. 6 as a “legitimate protest” than a “riot.”

The poll asked people in June 2021 and June 2022 whether each of those labels were appropriate descriptors for what transpired on Jan. 6, 2021. And the GOP shifts are pretty uniform:

While 33 percent of Republicans said in June 2021 that Jan. 6 was an insurrection, that number is now just 13 percent.

While 62 percent of Republicans called it a “riot” back then, that’s down to 45 percent.

While 47 percent said it was a “legitimate protest,” that’s now up to 61 percent.

So whereas more Republicans once said it was a “riot” than that it was a “legitimate protest,” by a 15-point margin, that has been flipped, with Republicans favoring the “legitimate protest” label by 16 points. A majority of Republicans no longer even regard Jan. 6 as a “riot.”