Thanksgiving: Most Americans want to avoid discussing politics at dinner, poll finds

Even those with opposing political affiliations agree on this one

Forty per cent of Americans want to avoid mixing politics and their Thanksgiving dinner, a new poll suggests.

A few, 15 per cent, were actually eager to get into political discussions at their dining tables with family and friends and 45 per cent said they were ambivalent.

The CBS News poll also found some partisan agreement in responses: 40 per cent of Democrats and 37 per cent of Republicans were looking forward to a day free of talking about the 2018 midterms, Donald Trump’s tweets, and any other hot-button Washington issues.

Independents were also in agreement, with 42 per cent preferring to leave conversations free from politics.

As CBS reported: “lack of appetite for Thanksgiving political discussions spans across all age groups, education and income levels.”

"Pass the cranberries and dressing, but hold the political vitriol, say voters who foresee a looming Thanksgiving dinner donnybrook," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll said in a statement.

"An impossible-to-digest smorgasbord of prejudice and division is served up on a day Americans hope to give thanks for all they have,” he said.

Six in 10 Americans want to avoid discussing politics this weekend and just 28 per cent indicated they were “looking forward” to it.

The Quinnipiac poll found 60 per cent of Democrats, 57 per cent of Republicans, and 66 per cent of Independents actually agreed as well - no politics over turkey and stuffing.

At least two-thirds of those surveyed also said they felt the current political rhetoric has led or contributed in some way to recent violence around the country, including mass shootings and the string of packages containing explosives sent to high-level Democrats.

When asked if "the level of hatred and prejudice in the country has increased" due to Mr Trump and his administration, 59 per cent of all those surveyed agreed.

Thirty-two per cent disagreed.

Meanwhile, a slew of “guides” have been published with tips on how to navigate tricky and sensitive conversation topics this holiday season. While some caution Americans to simply change the subject if it comes up, others like The Atlantic's say to "just dive in".

It stated: "Trump’s ability to grab the spotlight and inject himself into so many facets of life makes trying to avoid politics practically futile these days. ..what else are you going to talk about? The weather? That’s going to be a climate-change debate in no time at all. The NFL? Don’t even get started. Might as well embrace the inevitable!"

The CBS News poll was conducted via telephone from 15-18 November and responses came from a random sample of 1,103 adults.

The Quinnipiac poll called more than 1,000 voters across the country between 14 and 19 November.