Poll Finds Most Americans Willing to Attend July Fourth Events With Political Opponents

Nearly eight in ten Americans said they would attend a July Fourth party with someone whose political views differ sharply from their own, according to a recent NBC News poll. The survey also measured willingness to share other everyday activities across political lines.

Eighty-six percent said they would have dinner with someone holding opposing views. Eighty-three percent said they would attend a community event together.

Seventy-seven percent said they would coach or volunteer with someone in a youth sports league or service organization. Seventy-five percent said they would have a conversation about politics despite their differences. Seventy-three percent said they would attend religious services with someone they disagree with politically.

Seventy-two percent said they would serve together in a leadership role for a civic or community organization. The willingness to discuss politics crossed party lines, with 75 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of Republicans expressing openness.

When asked about personal relationships, 47 percent of respondents said they would be willing to marry or live with a partner whose political views differ sharply from their own, while 51 percent said they would not. Republicans were somewhat more likely than Democrats to express openness to such a relationship, with 51 percent saying they would compared with 38 percent of Democrats.

The largest partisan gap appeared on attending religious services with someone holding different political views, with 82 percent of Republicans and 64 percent of Democrats saying they would do so. The poll was conducted May 29 through June 7 by Democratic pollster Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates and Republican pollster Bill McInturff of Public Opinion Strategies.

It surveyed 3,000 adults nationwide through telephone interviews and online surveys delivered by text message, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.