New polling by State Policy Network (SPN) finds 59% of Americans have stayed quiet in the past 12 months to avoid conflict.
In political conversations with friends, family, or colleagues, most Americans are self-censoring to avoid potential disagreements and conflict. Erin Norman, State Policy Network’s polling expert, added:
“Most people don’t believe either of the two major political parties represent their beliefs well, but the narrative in the news is that there are exactly two sides, and you have to be on one of them. In the current political environment, people know being on either side means they will be demonized by someone, so they stay out.”
Even though most Americans are staying quiet in political conversations, just 22% have misrepresented their beliefs to avoid conflict. In addition, there’s a big split between Democratic men (35%) and Democratic women (23%).
Norman added:
“The good news is that most people aren’t completely isolating in like-minded political tribes. But the increased tribal nature of politics has led people in mixed-ideological groups to stay quiet. That ultimately hurts our ability to reach common ground and find solutions to the very real problems that face our nation.”
Led by State Policy Network’s Erin Norman, State Voices is a monthly public opinion study dedicated to understanding and sharing Americans’ attitudes about government and policy solutions. Polling for the data above was conducted through an online survey of 2,007 registered voters nationwide on March 15-17, 2023.
To schedule an interview with Erin Norman, please contact Camille Walsh at walsh@spn.org.
