More than 60 percent of people say they hope to “avoid politics” over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll.
In the poll, 61 percent of respondents said “they are hoping to avoid discussing politics while visiting with family or friends this Thanksgiving,” while, on the other hand, 29 percent of respondents said “they are looking forward to discussing politics.”
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said that politics in the United States over the last year has not changed how they feel about discussing politics with family and friends. On the contrary, 30 percent said it has changed for the worse. A mere 9 percent of respondents said it has changed for the better.
"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 analyst Tim Malloy said.
Thirty-five percent of respondents said they believe social media is most responsible divisions among Americans. Thirty-two percent said political leaders, 28 percent said cable news channels, and 1 percent said “other countries.”
Broken down by age group, 45 percent of voters ages 18 to 34 blame social media for divisions among Americans the most.
"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.
Who is most responsible for divisions in U.S.? Social media ranks #1 among young voters. Table the talk about politics at Thanksgiving, say voters. https://t.co/JPg1SPG70B
— Quinnipiac University Poll (@QuinnipiacPoll) November 20, 2023
Last year, a separate Axios-Ipsos poll found that “the overwhelming majority of Americans say they don't want to talk politics at the Thanksgiving table.”
Despite this, 41 percent of Democrats and 29 percent of Republicans said “they’ll probably do it anyway.”