Most Americans are once again hoping to avoid discussing politics with friends and family around the Thanksgiving table this year, according to a national poll released Tuesday by Quinnipiac University.
The survey of 1,574 registered voters was conducted between Nov. 9 and 13 and found that 61% of respondents were planning to avoid the subject of politics while 29% reported looking forward to political conversations with friends and family over the holiday.
Those results were roughly consistent across categories like age, political affiliation, race and gender. For instance, 57% of Republicans, 64% of Democrats, and 63% of independents all reported hoping to avoid politics.
“A healthy dose of ‘zip it’ will be on the menu as voters acknowledge that if they plan on ‘talking turkey’ over the big meal, it will be about the food and not about politics,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a press release.
Though most still prefer to avoid political discussions, the results suggest Americans may have warmed to the idea of holiday politics– at least a little. A similar poll conducted two years ago found a more pronounced distaste for politics as 66% reported planning to avoid the subject.
Be that as it may, this year’s poll suggests that 59% of Americans feel that recent national politics have not changed their outlook about discussing the subject with friends and family. Nine percent said that politics over the last year had changed their opinion for the better while 30% said it changed for the worse.
Asked who they hold responsible for political divisions among Americans, 35% of respondents blamed social media, 32% blamed political leaders, and 28% blamed cable news networks. Voters in the youngest age bracket, between 18 and 34 years old, were most likely to blame social media for political divisions at 45%.
“When it comes to the source of the angry white noise of discord and division, the segment of the population most connected to it is the age group most critical of it,” Malloy said.
