One in Five believe states have the right to secede.

A recent Middlebury Institute and Zogby poll shows that approxiamately 22% of American Adults think states have the right to secede from the United States.

One in five American adults — 22% — believe that any state or region has the right to “peaceably secede from the United States and become an independent republic,” a new Middlebury Institute/Zogby International telephone poll shows.

The level of support for the right of secession was consistent in every region in the country, though the percentage was slightly higher in the South (26%) and the East (24%). The figures were also consistent for every age group, but backing was strongest among younger adults, as 40% among those aged 18 to 24 and 24% among those aged 25 to 34 agreed states and regions have secession rights.

It’s surprising and pleasing to see the highest amount of support in secession is amongst the 18-24 group, but unfortunately it drops off quickly once they reach 25.

Asked whether they would support a secessionist movement in their own state, 18% said they would, with those in the South most likely to say they would back such an effort. In the South, 24% said they would support such an effort, while 15% in the West and Midwest said the same. Here, too, younger adults were more likely than older adults to be supportive — 35% of those under age 30 would support secession in their state, compared to just 17% of those over age 65. Among African Americans, 33% said they would support secession, compared to just 15% of white adults. The more education a respondent had, the less likely they were to support secession — as 38% of those with less than a high school diploma would support it, compared to just 10% of those with a college degree.

There is hope yet.