During Thanksgiving, politics takes a back seat: polls

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Most Americans this Thanksgiving are passing on bringing up politics at the dinner table, according to two national polls.

According to a NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, 58 percent of people celebrating the holiday say they don’t want to be dragged into a polarizing political conversation with family members.

Thirty-one percent said they were eager to discuss the latest news with their friends and family, while 11 percent were on the fence.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll said nearly one-third of all adults it surveyed will “actively avoid” political conversations during the holiday season. About half said they don’t expect to discuss politics at all.

The Nov. 8-13 poll also found that for most Americans, politics is their “least favorite” topic to discuss.

In fact, people would rather talk about religion or their personal finances with their in-laws, distant cousins and friends rather than tackle ObamaCare or the Russia investigation.

But this isn’t the first year poll respondents said they put a stop to political discussions at the dinner table.

Adrianne Beal, a Trump supporter from Illinois, said her family learned to leave politics off the menu after a “stressful” Thanksgiving in 2008. That year, former President Barack Obama had just been elected to his first term. Beal said her niece called her a bigot for not supporting him.

“Well that was the end of that,” Beal told Reuters. “I decided I’m not going to talk politics anymore. I’m not those things they call me.”