Although most Americans align themselves with close family members on controversial political issues, one in five reports alienation

New polling from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) shows that about one in three Americans (31%) expect to have a heated political discussion with their family members this election season. While most (71%) say their families will weather the storm and get along about the same when the holidays come around, 12% expect an improvement in relationships, and 6% say family relationships will worsen.

The survey was conducted among 2,201 adults by Morning Consult from September 20 to 22, 2024.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) say they align themselves with close family members on political issues. Those who identified as Democrats (73%) or Republicans (76%) were more likely to say so than Independents (51%). While one in five adults (22%) said conversations about controversial topics made them anxious, more adults (27%) said they enjoyed hearing different points of view. Men (33%) said this more often than women (22%).

Two in five Americans (41%) reported having had an argument with a family member over a controversial issue, with 18-34 year olds (48%) more likely to say so than those over 65 (35%). One in five Americans have become estranged from a family member (21%), blocked a family member on social media (22%) or skipped a family event (19%) due to disagreements on controversial topics.

“As we all know, our current environment has become increasingly polarized,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Marketa M. Wills, MD, MBA. “It is not surprising that some of us will have heated conversations and disagreements about sensitive issues, even with the people we are close to.

“Sometimes these discussions represent healthy debate, and other times they can cross the line into rudeness when emotions flare. The most important thing for our collective mental health is to be aware of how we feel during these tense moments, and to think carefully about how these interactions may impact our important relationships.”

Earlier this year, the APA Council on Communications, a group of leading psychiatrist-communicators, collected tips on “how to discuss controversial issues with your mental health in mind.” Among their recommendations:

• Carefully determine when it is time to participate. If someone says something you disagree with, take a few minutes to think about the outcome you want to achieve by speaking up, and what you would like to say.
• Be willing to listen and consider whether you are willing to be open to someone else’s points of view.
• Consider the speaker’s personality traits and whether he/she is likely to be helpful with you.
• Set some ground rules, such as agreeing to let the other person speak before you start speaking, or that you are truly willing to learn from the other person.
• When they are done, think about these conversations and what you learned and how it made you feel.

Finally, Wills adds, “If a conversation feels like it is going in a direction that is negatively impacting your mental health, consider politely excusing yourself from the conversation or gently steering the conversation toward less intense topics.” where you can find something.” more common ground.”