Most Americans disapprove of feeling happiness toward bad things happening to public figures, a new poll found, despite the indifference expressed by some on social media to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Thompson was fatally shot in New York City just before 7 a.m. last Wednesday as he walked to a Hilton in Midtown to meet with investors. Police have charged 26-year-old Luigi Mangione in his death after arresting him in Altoona, Pennsylvania, on Monday.
While many said they were disturbed by the brutal shooting, others reacted with indifference, or in some cases schadenfreude. Some critics view the shooting as a possible breaking point in the anger many Americans feel toward the health care system due to negative experiences they've had with insurance companies. Many simply responded with memes, jokes or even support for Mangione after his arrest.
YouGov conducted a poll gauging how Americans feel about this sort of reaction on Monday, releasing its findings Tuesday afternoon.
While it did not specifically mention the UnitedHealthcare shooting, YouGov asked survey takers, "Do you think it is generally appropriate or inappropriate for someone to feel happy when bad things happen to a public figure they dislike?"
It found that a slim majority of Americans—51 percent—said it is "inappropriate" to feel happiness in these cases. Only 22 percent said they believe it is "appropriate" to do so, while 28 percent said they aren't sure whether or not it is OK.
The poll surveyed 9,925 U.S. adults on December 10, 2024. A margin of error was not available.
Just 13 percent of respondents said they "always" or "usually" feel happy when something bad happens to a public figure they dislike. Twenty-three percent said they "never" feel happy in those cases, while 27 percent each said they "rarely" and or "sometimes" feel happy in those cases.
Mike Fahey, CEO and founder of Fahey Communications, previously told Newsweek that people may view Thompson as "the face of an unfair and exploitative system" but that some social media users "forget they are in conversations about real people with real emotions."
Mangione was allegedly found with a handwritten manifesto saying that he believes violence is the only way to change the health care industry, police said. A police official told CNN that he wrote in the manifesto that "these parasites had it coming." Police have not said what they believe his motive was.
In court on Tuesday, Mangione's defense lawyer Thomas Dickey said he plans to fight extradition to New York. He has been charged with murder in New York and is facing four other charges, including forgery and possession of a firearm. He was ordered held without bail and did not enter a plea.
fairness meter
fairness meter
Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair.
Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter.
Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair.
Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter.
Click On Meter To Rate This Article
About the writer
Andrew Stanton
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ...
Read more
English (US) ·