A wide majority of Americans, 81%, are willing to put aside disagreements with others in order to work on a cause they hold dear to their hearts, according to a new post-election survey.
The poll of 2,000 adults revealed that when it comes to supporting a cause four in five are willing to put their differences aside to work with someone they usually wouldn’t see eye-to-eye with.
Three in four of the respondents (76%) are totally willing to engage in conversation with someone who holds different views to see if they can understand that point of view.
When asked what topics they believe people most disagreed on, politics came out on top (68%), followed by social justice issues (57%), climate change (53%), equal rights (53%) and the economy and the workforce (49%).
Still, seven in 10 think working on issues has the power to bring people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives together.
Conducted by the Walton Family Foundation and OnePoll to mark National Philanthropy Day today, November 15, the survey found that despite differences in opinions, a whopping 80% of Americans believe people need to come together to solve our country’s big issues.
“It’s heartening that so many people are willing to look toward common ground to find common solutions,” said Caryl M. Stern, executive director of the Walton Family Foundation. “Our problems are too big to solve alone. We need inclusive coalitions to create solutions with sticking power.”
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But what motivates opposites to work together? Sixty-three percent of respondents said they’d work or volunteer with someone with different views if they had a shared cause they both deeply cared about.
Top 5 Issues Identified as Most in Need of Collaboration:
Climate changeLocal community issuesDiversity, equity and inclusionGrowing local economies, andIncreasing student achievement and opportunities
When asked which sectors can bring people together, philanthropy came out on top at 45%—because it can bring extra resources to address the world’s biggest issues. It was followed closely by nonprofits and government.
“This National Philanthropy Day, I’m excited to listen and look for innovative solutions that are bubbling up from people working together,” said Stern.
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