America Talks
In June, we engaged more than 6,000 participants in political dialogue, together with the USA Today Network and other groups across America.
Tim Swarens, Hidden Common Ground editor at USA Today, was one of those participants. In a recent piece in USA Today, he published his thoughts on why he signed up for America Talks and about his conversation. Swarens, himself a conservative, spoke to David, a left moderate. Far from a shouting match, Swarens writes that the conversation was controversial but friendly, especially regarding “our hopes and fears for our country, our communities and our families.”
Read the article
Who were the participants of America Talks?
Participants for America Talks came from all 50 states in the USA. One participant registered from Puerto Rico. The median age was 60 years old; around 46% of the participants identified as female, 52% as male, and 2% did not specify their gender.
The most polarising question was “Is free speech threatened on college campuses?” with 54% of participants answering “yes” and 46% answering “no.” On average, women and men were 8 percentage points apart in their answers. The biggest difference was in the question of whether a $15 minimum wage was a good idea. Around 83% of women answered “yes”, compared to 61% of men.