Poll: Majority of voters blame mass shootings on mental illness, gang violence

A majority of U.S. voters blame mass shootings not on access to firearms but on mental illness and gang activity, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

When asked, 45% of voters say mental illness is the most significant contributor to mass shootings. A further 18% cite "gang violence."

An additional 28%, meanwhile, say "easy access to guns" is the most notable contributing factor to those shootings. 

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Just the News Daily Poll

(Just the News)

Mental illness has been a significant factor in multiple major mass shootings, such as those that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, Tucson, AZ and Aurora, CO. 

Gang violence, meanwhile, often contributes to lower-profile yet still common mass shootings in cities across the country. 

The survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted by Rasmussen using a mixed-mode approach from March 25-27. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

Click here to see the poll's cross-demographic tabulations.

Click here to see the poll's methodology and sample demographics.