Republicans and Democrats agree: They want to better understand each other

The Ipsos Consumer Tracker, fielded on Ipsos' Omnibus platform, asks Americans questions about culture, the economy and the forces that shape our lives. Here's one thing we learned this week.

Why we asked: As we are divided on so many things in this nation, it’s worth asking: Do we even want to get along better?

What we found: There are a lot of things Americans agree on. That’s easy to lose sight of in these turbulent times. Really easy. But here’s the thing. We, as a nation, haven’t given up on each other. Despite algorithms feeding us things meant to trigger us and despite fewer and fewer of us living in competitive political districts, despite all the tensions in the Ipsos Global Trend we call “Splintered Societies,” we still want to understand our neighbors and friends and family. 

One in four Democrats and one in five Republicans strongly agree that they want to better understand those they don’t agree with politically. Add in the somewhat-agrees and you have a strong majority (63% and 66% respectively) saying they want to see things from a different perspective. Or at least try to. 

And that’s something. Maybe if we pull that off, more will think America’s best days will be ahead of us, and not behind? Maybe? Here’s to 250 more years.

More insights from this wave of the Ipsos Consumer Tracker:

Younger Americans are visiting malls more frequently

Another positive signal in the consumer economy

In America, most still call it soccer

America’s perception of greatness is on the rebound

The Ipsos Care-o-Meter: What does America know about vs. what does America care about?