Politics may be especially partisan right now, but both Republicans and Democrats would be willing to reach across the aisle for love.
The Economist and YouGov asked Democrats and Independents how they would feel if their child married a Republican, and then asked Republicans and Independents how they would feel if their child married a Democrat.
Among Republicans, 13 percent say they would be very upset if their son or daughter married a Democrat. One-quarter would be somewhat upset, but half (50%) wouldn’t be upset at all. On the other side of the aisle, 16 percent of Democrats say they would be very upset if their child married a Republican. Another 22 percent would be somewhat upset, and 41 percent say they wouldn’t be upset at all.
Among Independents, 63 percent wouldn’t be upset at all if their child dated a Republican. Just 13 percent would be somewhat upset, and 6 percent say they would be very upset. Similarly, 66 percent of Independents say they would be not upset at all if their child married a Democrat. One in 10 would be somewhat upset, and 6 percent would be very upset.
Methodology: The Economist survey was conducted by YouGov using a nationally representative sample of 1,500 U.S. adult citizens interviewed online between September 13 - 15, 2020. This sample was weighted according to gender, age, race, and education based on the American Community Survey, conducted by the US Bureau of the Census, as well as 2016 Presidential vote, registration status, geographic region, and news interest. Respondents were selected from YouGov’s opt-in panel to be representative of all US citizens. The margin of error is approximately 3.4% for the overall sample.
