One in four Americans think their spouses might lie to them about a presidential election or if there is an important issue on the ballot that they feel strongly about.
Menlo Park, CA (PRWEB) September 26, 2016
Millennials read a wider variety of political news sources than their parents’ generation and dread talking politics at family holidays, according to a new survey from Aleya Labs, creator of Contempo, the first app to offer real-time access to the most relevant political news and commentary.
The national survey, commissioned by Propeller Insights and polling 1,000 U.S. adults, also revealed that CNN and Fox News are Americans’ preferred news sources for political news, that Bill O’Reilly and Anderson Cooper are America’s most popular political commentators.
Turkey and politics?
Millennials feel especially plagued by unwanted conversations about politics over the holidays.
More than half (54 percent) voted Christmas/Hanukah as the tensest social event due to political differences; nearly half (49 percent) said it was Thanksgiving; and 47 percent said the Fourth of July. Their parents’ generation felt cocktails parties (38 percent) invited the most unpleasant discussions about politics.
Ten percent of Americans admitted that every social event is complicated by political differences, while a small minority – three percent – said they didn’t think any were.
When asked which family members were most frustrating to talk to about politics, there was again a division by age. Millennials ranked parents and in-laws high, while their parents, the Baby Boomers, softened towards their own parents but still felt frustrated by in-laws, siblings and their own children:
With which family member is it most frustrating to talk politics?
Millennials:
1. My parents--19 percent
2. My in-laws--16 percent
3. My uncle--12 percent
4. My grandparents--10 percent
5. My siblings--10 percent
Baby Boomers:
1. Other (includes "kids" and "friends")--32 percent
2. My siblings--20 percent
3. My in-laws--13 percent
4. My cousins--11 percent
5. My spouse--9 percent
Uncles were voted more than twice as frustrating as aunts, especially by Millennials – 12 percent vs. five percent.
Traditional News Sources Lead in Popularity
Across age demographics, Americans voted CNN and Fox News as their favorite news sources when it comes to politics.
Americans’ favorite news source for politics:
1. CNN – 40 percent
2. Fox News – 37 percent
3. Huffington Post – 22 percent
4. New York Times – 21 percent
5. Washington Post – 16 percent
However, Millennials reported higher levels of engagement with a wider variety of publications than their parents’ generation:
Baby Boomers:
1. New York Times--11 percent
2. Huffington Post--12 percent
3. Washington Post--9 percent
4. NPR--7 percent
5. BuzzFeed--3 percent
Millennials:
1. New York Times--33 percent
2. Huffington Post--30 percent
3. BuzzFeed--25 percent
4. Washington Post--25 percent
5. NPR--10 percent
Those who vote together, stay together
Nearly three-quarters of Americans across age demographics say they share the same political beliefs as their romantic partners, however one in four Americans did think their spouses might lie to them about a presidential election or if there is an important issue on the ballot that they feel strongly about.
“It’s clear that politics is a big part of Americans’ relationships with their family and friends, and the survey demonstrates that Americans look to news sites and influencers to help them stay informed and educated,” said Sal Arora, CEO of Aleya Labs. “That’s where Contempo comes in—it analyzes the social media sentiment of political influencers, pushing out the top stories based on what’s currently buzzing on both the right and left. It lets you get easily informed about both sides of the story, and hopefully serves as a useful tool to access multiple perspectives. .”
Contempo is available for free download at App Store.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Propeller Insights on behalf of Aleya Labs September 20-21, 2016, among 1,000 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample, and, therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Alessandra(at)Bospar(dot)com.
About Aleya Labs
Aleya Labs is the developer of a new platform that converges human behavior and machine learning to create consumer applications and data-driven business solutions. The company's first consumer offering built using the Aleya platform is an iOS app, Contempo. Contempo is the first app to offer real-time access to the most socially relevant political news and commentary from both the right and the left. Founded in July 2016, Aleya Labs is based in Menlo Park, CA. For more information, connect with Aleya Labs on Facebook and Twitter.