6 in 10 hoping to avoid politics at Thanksgiving: Survey
Hoping to pass on the side of politics with your turkey this Thanksgiving? You’re not alone.
A poll released Monday found that more than 60 percent of people say they would rather not talk about politics over the holiday this week. Just 29 percent of people said they are looking forward to talking about politics with friends and family, according to the Quinnipiac University national poll.
“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 news release.
The survey found the no-politics wish similar across all groups, regardless of age or political affiliation.
Outside of family, political tensions are notably heated in the Beltway. Congress left D.C. last week after finalizing a spending agreement to fund the government into early next year, but it only came after near fisticuffs in a Senate hearing and personal insults lobbed in the House. Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) was also accused of elbowing of elbowing a fellow GOP lawmaker in the back during a hallway interview.
Next year’s elections and the ongoing battle for the GOP nomination between front-runner former President Trump and a slate of rivals have also provided ample opportunities for dispute.
But it’s not exactly a new trend. An Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index poll last year found that a similar majority of people surveyed didn’t want to talk politics last Thanksgiving.
Thirty percent of the people surveyed in the Quinnipiac survey said the last year has made them feel worse about discussing politics, while nearly 60 percent said they haven’t changed their view.
Respondents overwhelmingly credited political leaders and social media for divisiveness in America.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,574 registered voters across the country from Nov. 9-13, and it has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.
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