President Trump speaks at Mount Rushmore before America’s 250th fireworks display
America’s 250th anniversary celebrations at Mount Rushmore ended with a fireworks display after President Donald Trump’s remarks.
As Americans celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary on Independence Day this year, a new poll finds many are willing to put aside their political differences, at least to enjoy backyard barbecues, fireworks and community celebrations.
A recent NBC News poll sponsored by More Perfect, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on strengthening democracy, found that nearly 8 in 10 Americans said they would be willing to attend a Fourth of July party attended by someone whose political views differ significantly from their own.
The findings suggest that while political division remains a defining feature of American life, many people remain open to celebrating, volunteering, and interacting with those with opposing views. Respondents expressed a broad willingness to share everyday experiences across political divides.
Some areas were separated from others. While Americans were generally comfortable putting politics aside in public and community settings, they were even more divided when it came to romantic relationships and whether to marry or live with a partner whose political beliefs differed significantly from their own.
Most Americans are open to celebrating and volunteering together
Polls have found that a majority of Americans are willing to interact in many situations with people with whom they strongly disagree politically.
Some of the findings include:
- 86% said they would have dinner with someone who held opposing political views.
- 83% plan to attend local events and gatherings.
- 79% said they would attend a July 4th party.
- 77% plan to coach or volunteer in a youth sports league or service organization.
- 75% believe they will have conversations about politics despite their differences.
- 73% said they would attend a religious service with someone they disagree with politically.
- 72% would like to serve together in a leadership role in a civic or community organization.
Willingness to engage in political conversations crosses party lines, with 75% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans saying they would be willing to discuss politics with someone who holds opposing views.
Americans draw the line when it comes to romantic relationships.
The survey found that the divide was even more pronounced when respondents were asked about their personal relationships.
Only 47% of Americans say they would be willing to marry or live with a partner whose political views are significantly different from their own, while 51% said they had no intention of doing so.
Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to say they would be open to such a relationship, with 51% expressing an appetite, compared to 38% of Democrats.
The largest partisan gap in the study was attending religious services with people of different political views. About 82% of Republicans said they wanted to do so, compared with 64% of Democrats.
About voting
The survey was conducted from May 29 to June 7 by Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates and Republican pollster Bill McInturf of Public Opinion Strategies.
The poll was conducted using a combination of telephone interviews and an online survey via text message among 3,000 adults nationwide. Each question was asked to half of the randomly selected respondents, or about 1,500 people, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com or X @athompsonUSAT.
