Most Americans don't mind if close friends belong to a different party
Core finding
Most Americans (57%) say they don't mind when people they're close to belong to a different political party, and nearly as many (54%) say the same about people outside their inner circle, a May 2026 Verasight survey finds.
That tolerance has limits, though: 30% say they have unfollowed or unfriended someone on social media because they do not agree politically, and smaller shares have pulled back from a friend (23%), a family member (20%), or a romantic partner (8%) over political differences, while 11% have ended a relationship entirely. Just 13% say none of these apply to them.
Selected responses
Most Americans don't mind if close friends belong to a different party.
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n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| Module | politics |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
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Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.