This past year has been tough. People have dealt with the social distancing and now getting vaccinated in many different ways and these differences have caused issues. Families have been splintered and friendships have been destroyed because of how people have reacted to events. And, a new online survey conducted by Regina Corso Consulting among 2,099 U.S. adults, 18 and older between April 14 and 17, 2021 shows that it has impacted a good number of these relationships.
Two in five Americans (40%) say their friends and family have gone too far with how they reacted to the pandemic while almost two in five (37%) say they have stopped associating with members of their family because of how they have handled themselves over the past year of the pandemic. There is a generational split here with Gen Z and Millennials being more likely than Gen X and Baby Boomers/Greatest Generationers to say their friends and family have gone too far with how they have reacted (47% & 53% vs. 36% & 24%) and they have stopped associating with members of their family because of how they have handled themselves this past pandemic year (51% & 51% vs. 35% & 17%).
There is also a partisan split as almost half of Democrats (45%) say they have stopped associating with members of their family because of how they have handled themselves over the past year of the pandemic compared to one-third of Independents (33%) and three in ten Republicans (31%). Those with children in their household are more likely than those without to say their friends and family have gone too far with how they have reacted (55% vs. 30%) and they have stopped associating with members of their family because of how they have handled themselves over the past year of the pandemic (52% vs. 28%).
As many surveys do, this one leads to more questions for the future. One is, knowing what we know now, would Americans have done anything differently? Also, will they reconcile with friends and family they may have drifted away from or stopped associating with during the pandemic? And, in this hyper-partisan era, how much of these familial breaks were caused by politics?
