Talk of deep partisan differences between men and women was common during the 2024 campaign, but it appears to be taking on new intensity as the holiday season approaches. HuffPost’s personal essay, “My Husband and Family Voted for Trump — That’s Why We Cancel Thanksgiving and Christmas,” received a lot of attention on social media. Author Andrea Tate said that although she was a good and loving husband, she couldn’t move beyond voting for Trump and post-election and planned to boycott the celebration. Ms. Tate spoke of the pain shared by many of her friends and colleagues over the election results.
Although men and women voted differently in 2024, the majority did not intend to avoid holiday celebrations or discuss political differences during Thanksgiving. A series of questions asked over time by The Economist and YouGov provide evidence. A new Economist/YouGov poll found that of the 81% who said they would celebrate Thanksgiving, 14% said they expected to discuss politics at the table. There were no significant differences between male and female or Harris and Trump supporters. In 2023, The Economist/YouGov asked people celebrating Thanksgiving whether there was any discussion of politics at the celebration. Nationwide, 16% said yes, but 78% said no. Slightly more men than women said they had gotten into an argument. 19% said there would be debate in 2022. A 2020 YouGov Direct poll found that 67% said they were not worried about politics being discussed at celebrations, while 4% were very worried and 8% were somewhat worried. Previous polls have shown the same pattern.
Still, a 2023 Quinnipiac University poll found that 61% of Americans said they would avoid discussing politics when visiting family and friends for Thanksgiving, and 29% said they were looking forward to Thanksgiving. 60% of men and 62% of women said they would like to avoid it. There is no doubt that that is still true.
The above polls are all about expectations. They are interesting in themselves, but they don’t talk about people’s real experiences. I found only one poll that looked at what actually happened on Thanksgiving. The results of the 2019 Huffington Post poll were in line with the Economist/YouGov results. They found that 16% of people who ate Thanksgiving dinner together discussed politics. But only 3 percent reported discussing it. Slightly more, 5%, reported getting into an argument about something else. Both men and women were in agreement.
Andrea Tate’s holiday sulking is probably better than the women who shave their heads in sex strikes or election protests. But for me, it’s a shame that she will miss out on what would be a wonderful celebration for most people. There is much to be thankful for.
