‘Gnashing of teeth’: Guess which political party is dreading holiday celebrations with people with whom they disagree

Democrats appear to have less holiday cheer than their conservative counterparts this Christmas, a newly reported Axios-Ipsos poll found.

Over 61% of Democrats said time with their loved ones over the holidays makes them more stressed out, while just 39% of Republicans said the same, according to the poll of 1,002 adult Americans conducted between Dec. 6 and Dec. 9. Democrats also reported lower emotional well-being overall, with 17% stating their emotional health was poor compared to only 7% of Republicans.

Political differences continue to create familial strife, with a late-November Harris poll of over 2,000 Americans finding more than 40% of adults aged 44 and under are skipping holiday get-togethers due to political disagreements. Perhaps as a result, 72% of American adults are hoping to avoid talking politics at family holiday gatherings this year, with 83% saying the holidays are a time to put politics aside, according to the Axios-Ipsos poll.

Despite political disagreements, Americans across all political leanings seem in good spirits overall this holiday season, with 84% of respondents saying their emotional well-being was “very” or “somewhat good,” the Axios-Ipsos poll found.

“For all the gnashing of teeth since the election, people are rating their mental health virtually the same as earlier this year,” Chris Jackson, senior vice president of Ipsos, told Axios. “There may have been high anxiety in the electoral context but generally there has not been any change.”

The partisan difference in holiday emotional health could reflect a longstanding gap in happiness levels among Republicans and Democrats, with a 2022 Morning Consult poll of 2,210 U.S. adults finding Republicans were happier, more content and more energized than their independent and Democratic counterparts.

Higher rates of holiday dread for Democrats could be related to a lower commitment to the family unit overall, with marriage rates in the party lagging behind Republicans by an average of 18% since 2000. Moreover, just 19% of Biden voters viewed marriage and having children as a key priority for American society, compared to 59% of Trump supporters, according to a June Pew Research Center study.

Democrats are also 23% more likely to report cheating on their spouse, and are more supportive of marital infidelity more broadly, with just 60% saying cheating is “always wrong,” compared to 84% of Republicans.

The Axios-Ipsos poll had a 3.3% margin of error at a 95% confidence interval.

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