16 Percent of Democrats Would Be ‘Very Upset’ if Their Child Married a Republican

16% of Democrats would be very upset if their child married a Republican and 13% of Republicans say they would be very upset if their child married a Democrat according to a recent survey conducted by YouGov and the Economist.

The survey asked Democrats and Independents what they would feel about their kid tying the knot with a Republican. The same question was asked to Republicans and Independents about Democrats.  They asked each side if they would be:

• Very upset
• Somewhat upset
• Not sure
• Not upset at all

Democrats were the most likely to be upset about their child marrying someone of the opposite party. In addition, 50% of Republicans would not be upset at all over the nuptials while 41% of Democrats claim they would not be upset at all.

My wife Erica and I grew up in households that would be considered politically opposed. This has never caused a problem in our relationship and I think it can be the spark for really interesting debate. It may have caused a problem for the upcoming Presidential election if you weigh the extreme national division on all issues but we happen to be in lockstep on this one.

I love surveys like this and I'm often surprised with the results and that happens to be true of this particular study. There is something that always bothers me about them, how are so many people unsure about their feelings, thoughts and opinions?

In this survey 21% of Democrats were not sure if they would be upset and 12% of Republicans felt the same way, they felt, they didn't know what they would feel. How in the hell are you unsure?

Some people may look at that that uncertainty as a quality and now a flaw. They could make the case that the person does not want to make a snap decision, is measured and cannot consider all the factors until they are put in that position.

That's cute and I call B.S. on people like that all the time, you know how you would feel, we all make snap decisions and you are just trying to appear to be more considerate and analytical than your neighbor.

Furthermore, what the hell is actually at stake when answering these questions? You were bored, it was anonymous and you probably got a $5 "Chili's On the Go gift card" for participating.