While most Americans align with close family members on controversial political issues, one in five report estrangement

New American Psychiatric Association (APA) polling reveals that about one in three Americans (31%) anticipates having a heated political discussion with their family members this election season. While most (71%) indicate that their family will weather the storm and get along about the same as the holidays come around, 12% expect an improvement in relations, and 6% said family relations will get worse.

The survey was conducted among 2,201 adults Sept. 20–22, 2024, by Morning Consult.

Two-thirds of Americans (67%) said they align 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 that conversations around controversial topics made them anxious, more (27%) said they enjoyed hearing different points of view. Men (33%) were more likely to say so than women (22%).

Two in five Americans (41%) reported that they had argued with a family member about a controversial issue, with 18-34-year-olds (48%) more likely to say so than those over age 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, M.D., M.B.A. “It is not surprising that some of us will find ourselves having heated conversations and disagreements on sensitive issues, even with the people we are close to.

“Sometimes these discussions represent healthy debate, and other times they may cross the line into incivility if emotions flare. The most important thing for our collective mental health is to be mindful of how we are feeling during these tense moments, and to carefully consider the impact these interactions might be having on our important relationships.”

Earlier this year, the APA Council on Communications, a group of leading psychiatrist-communicators, compiled tips on “How to Discuss Controversial Issues with Your Mental Health in Mind.” Among their recommendations:

Decide carefully when it’s time to engage. If someone says something you disagree with, take a few minutes to think about the outcome you’d want to reach by speaking up, and what you might want to say.
Be ready to listen and consider whether you are ready to be open to someone else’s viewpoints.
Consider the speaker’s personality traits and whether they are likely to engage helpfully with you.
Set some ground rules, such as agreeing to let the other person talk before you start to speak or having a true willingness to learn from the other person.
When they’re done, reflect on these conversations and what you learned and how they made you feel.

Finally, adds Wills, “If a conversation feels like it may be turning in a direction that will adversely impact your mental health, consider politely excusing yourself from the conversation or gently steering the conversation to less intense topics where you’ll be able to find more common ground.”