Nov 28, 2024 - Politics & Policy

A third of young adults expect political arguments during Thanksgiving

April Rubin

Illustration of a cornucopia with a megaphone for an opening surrounded by autumnal squashes — Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Nearly a third of adults under 30 believe that a political argument will be on the menu at their Thanksgiving tables this year, according to YouGov polling.

Why it matters: The holiday follows a highly polarized election season where divisive language was mainstream and President-elect Trump promised to turn the federal government against his political and cultural foes.

17% of all Americans said it is very or somewhat likely that they'll get into a political argument on Thanksgiving, including 6% who said it was very likely, according to polling YouGov conducted this month.

By the numbers: 31% of adults under 30 said they're likely to get into a political argument, higher shares than other age groups:

25% of 30-40 year olds.
11% of 45-64 year olds.
5% of Americans 65 and up.

Yes but: Nearly half of respondents — 49% — said there's no chance they hurl insults between bites of stuffing. Another 21% they were not very likely to start a fight.

Zoom in: Democrats (23%) said they were more likely than Republicans (18%) to get into a political disagreement.

Following an election where the gender gap was stark, men (21%) said they were more likely than women (14%) to get testy.

Behind the scenes: Half of Gen Z voters and a quarter of voters overall said they lied to people close to them about who they were voting for ahead of the presidential election.

While most younger Americans still vote blue, Trump commanded significant support from young men.

Go deeper: Record-breaking Thanksgiving travel predicted by TSA, AAA

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A third of young adults expect political arguments during Thanksgiving

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