How do Americans feel about Luigi Mangione? Poll finds generational and gender divide

A majority of Americans have a negative view of Luigi Mangione, the man accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, new polling reveals. However, opinions differ significantly based on age, gender and race.

In a Center for Strategic Politics poll, 61% of respondents said they have a strong or somewhat negative perception of Mangione, while just 18% said they have a strong or somewhat positive perception.

In addition to their views on Mangione, the poll also asked respondents to weigh in on Thompson, UnitedHealthcare and the health insurance industry more broadly.

Conducted on Dec. 11, the poll sampled 455 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 4.6 percentage points.

Here are the key findings, which come nine days after Thompson was killed.

Views on Mangione

Opinions on Mangione differed dramatically based on age.

Among respondents under 45, less than half, 41%, said they have a negative view of Mangione. Meanwhile, 31% said they have a positive view. In contrast, 77% of respondents 45 and older expressed a negative view, while just 8% expressed a positive view.

There was also a significant gender gap, with 23% of men saying they have positive views, while 14% of women said the same.

Additionally, Black and Hispanic respondents were far more likely to express favorable views towards Mangione than white respondents.

Thirty-one percent of Black respondents and 28% of Hispanic respondents said they have a positive view, while 14% of white respondents said the same.

Further, 33% of respondents who said they were denied care by a health insurance provider expressed a positive view towards the alleged killer. In contrast, just 9% of those who said they have not been denied care said the same.

Views on Brian Thompson and health insurance industry

A plurality of respondents, 45%, said they didn’t know what they think of Thompson. Meanwhile, 35% said they view him negatively, and 19% said they view him positively.

When asked about UnitedHealthcare, nearly half of respondents, 48%, said they have a negative view, while 24% said they have a positive view.

And when asked about the health insurance industry, a majority, 57%, expressed negative views, while 32% expressed positive views.

On these three questions, the responses were less divided along generational, gender and racial lines.

For example, 39% of those under 45 had a negative view of Thompson, while 32% of those 45 and older also had a negative view. Similarly, 39% of men and 32% of women expressed a negative view.

However, nearly half of Black respondents, 47%, had a negative view of Thompson, while 33% of white respondents and 28% of Hispanic respondents said the same.

Additionally, about half of respondents under 45, 49%, expressed an unfavorable view towards UnitedHealthCare. Nearly the same number of those 45 and older, 47%, had negative views.

Further, nearly half of Black and white respondents — 50% and 49%, respectively — had a negative view towards the company. Forty-four percent of Hispanic respondents had a negative view.

More about the case

On Dec. 4, Thompson was shot and killed outside the New York Hilton Midtown in Manhattan, where UnitedHealthcare was scheduled to host an event for investors, according to the Associated Press.

Five days later, Mangione was arrested at a McDonalds in Pennsylvania in connection to the killing. He was allegedly carrying a gun and a fake ID at the time.

Mangione has since been charged with forgery and a firearms violation by Pennsylvania authorities, and has been charged with murder by New York authorities, according to CBS News.

Mangione’s attorney has said that he believes his client will plead not guilty to the charges, according to CNN.

This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 2:22 PM with the headline "How do Americans feel about Luigi Mangione? Poll finds generational and gender divide."