What's New
Four in 10 young people believe the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was "acceptable," according to an Emerson College poll.
The survey found that 41 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 found the shooting to either be "somewhat" or "completely" acceptable, a percentage that is far greater than any other age group.
Twenty-three percent of those in their 30s believe the shooting was acceptable, while 13 percent of those in their 40s found it acceptable. At 8 percent, those in their 50s were least likely to say it was acceptable. Only 10 percent of those in their 60s and 70s said it was acceptable.
The poll surveyed 1,000 voters from December 11 to 13 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Why It Matters
Resentment toward the health insurance industry in the U.S. hit a breaking point after Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on December 4. While many Americans reacted with horror to the brutal shooting, others responded with indifference or callousness, citing their negative experiences with health insurance companies.
Some Americans have even voiced support for the man charged in the shooting, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione. An online fundraiser for him has raised more than $141,000.
What To Know
Thompson was fatally shot just before 7 a.m. on December 4 as he was walking toward a Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan for a meeting with investors.
New York prosecutors said Tuesday that Mangione, who is fighting extradition to New York, is being charged with murder as an act of terrorism, just over a week after his December 9 arrest in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
It isn't known why he allegedly targeted Thompson, but a manifesto found when he was arrested at a McDonald's, which was published by independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, expressed disdain toward the health insurance industry.
"Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy," Mangione allegedly wrote.
What People Are Saying
The response to the Thompson shooting has brought a wide array of reactions.
President-elect Donald Trump during a press conference: "How people can like this guy, that's a sickness actually. It seems like there's a certain appetite for him. I don't get it."
Andrew Witty, UnitedHealth Group's CEO, in The New York Times: "Brian was never content with the status quo. That's why he pushed us to build dedicated teams to help the sickest people navigate the health system. It's why he fought for preventive health and quality health outcomes rather than simply adding ever more tests and procedures."
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, in Jacobin: "What you're seeing, the outpouring of anger at the insurance companies, is a reflection of how people feel about the current health care system. It is broken. It is cruel."
What's Next
Mangione is scheduled to return to court on Thursday for hearings on weapons charges and his extradition to New York.
