In Their Own Words: Who Is Antifa

Publication Date: 10/18/2025 1:45 PM CST

In Their Own Words: Who Is Antifa

Publication: 10/18/2025 1:45 PM CST

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Napolitan Institute asked 1,000 voters if they knew who Antifa is and to tell us what the group is.
- More than half of voters (55%) said they know who Antifa is, and 35% said that they do not know.
  - Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans and 48% of Democrats say they know who Antifa is.
  - Two-thirds (67%) of politically engaged voters know who Antifa is.
- We received 569 statements that covered topics on 3 main definitions: Negative, Political/Ideological, and Neutral/Descriptive definitions.
- These topics were broken down into subtopics. The top 5 most discussed subtopics were:
  - Terrorist organization (105 statements)
  - Anti-fascist/anti-racist (91 statements)
  - Left-wing/liberal (62 statements)
  - Literal definition (52 statements)
  - Violent/criminal group (43 statements)
- Data for this question is categorized and summarized using Jigsaw's open-source Sensemaker tool, built on Gemini (Google's most advanced AI) so that voters can answer the question in their own words.
Some voters described Antifa negatively. (203 statements)
- It was frequently labeled a domestic terrorist organization, a violent criminal group, or an extremist hate group.
- The statements described Antifa's tactics as violent and destructive.
- The definitions associated Antifa with radical left-wing politics and alleged it aims to destabilize the country.
- The vast majority of these statements label the entity as a terrorist organization, with many specifically identifying it as a domestic, home-grown, or national terror group.
- The statements consistently describe the group as being against the United States, its people, its government, and its way of life.
Some voters used political/ideological descriptions. (185 statements)
- They defined the entity's political ideology primarily by placing it on the left of the political spectrum, often as "far-left" or "radical left."
- Some characterized the movement by its stated opposition to fascism and racism, its association with anarchism, and its decentralized structure.
- The statements frequently define the movement by its opposition to fascism, racism, far-right ideologies, authoritarianism, nationalism, and white supremacy.
- A few statements specifically characterize the movement as a predominantly African American group calling for equal rights.
Other voters simply described Antifa with a neutral or descriptive definition. (134 statements)
- Some explained the term as a shortening of "anti-fascist" and representing an ideological opposition to fascism.
- Statements ranged from characterizing Antifa as a decentralized movement to saying it is a political fabrication, rather than a formal organization.
- Some statements provide historical context by citing the Allied forces in World War II fighting against the Nazis and Mussolini as examples of being anti-fascist.
Recently, Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring Antifa a domestic terrorist organization.
- Half of voters (51%) favor the order, with 34% Strongly favoring it.
- Twenty-one percent (21%) Strongly oppose.
- Far more Republicans (84%) favor the order, while only 19% of Democrats favor it.
- Only 2% of Republicans oppose the executive order, but a plurality of Democrats (43%) oppose it.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, October 15-16, 2025. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.