Poll: Most Americans Hope to Avoid Political Talk at Thanksgiving

While Trump voters are slightly more open to talking politics at Thanksgiving after his historic election victory, Americans overall prefer to dodge the subject entirely, a new CBS News/YouGov survey found. 

By political affiliation, 72 percent of voters who supported Vice President Kamala Harris and 62 percent of voters who supported President-elect Donald Trump want to avoid talking politics on Thanksgiving. Slightly more Trump voters than Harris voters want to discuss politics (38 percent to 28 percent). 

Many people who participated in the survey say they will be gathering with people who voted similarly to them. People are more likely to engage in political conversation on Thanksgiving if they are surrounded by like-minded company, although a majority still prefer to skip the topic altogether, according to the poll. 

The survey found that 43 percent will talk about politics with people who voted the same as they did, while 57 percent will still avoid the subject. Less than a third (31 percent) say they are willing to discuss politics with people who have different views than they do, while 69 percent will avoid doing so. 

“All that said, few are going out of their way to avoid political differences altogether. Just 1 in 10 say they have changed their plans to avoid gathering with people who voted for a different presidential candidate than they did,” according to the CBS News report. 

While there are stark differences between Trump and Harris voters, they both equally share gratitude for their friends and family.

When survey respondents were asked, “What are you especially thankful for this year?” 84 percent of Harris voters and 84 percent of Trump voters said “family and friends.” Seventy-seven percent of Harris voters and 72 percent of Trump voters also say they are grateful for their “health.” Trump voters (69 percent) were more likely to say they are grateful for “freedom” than Harris voters (52 percent). 

Out of all respondents polled, politics ranked at the bottom of the list when asked what they are thankful for this year.

Only 16 percent of Americans say they are thankful for “politics,” following by 49 percent who say “faith,” 49 percent who say “peace,” 58 percent who say “freedom,” 71 percent who say “health,” and 79 percent who say “family and friends.”

The survey was conducted with 2,232 U.S. adults between Nov. 19-22, 2024. The margin of error is ±2.3 percentage points.