Main Street Conversations

Pass the burgers and prepare for a long chat about artificial intelligence. When Americans imagine a backyard barbecue, the topic that would keep them talking longest is not sports, the weather or even the midterm elections. It is whether AI will become a threat to humanity.

Asked how long they would carry on a conversation about each topic, 45% say they would talk about whether AI will become a threat to humanity for "a good 15 minutes" or "all night." That is 11 percentage points higher than the share who would do the same for their favorite sports team (34%), and also ahead of groceries (39%), AI data centers (36%) and the midterms (36%). Gas prices sit just behind sports (33%).

Interest in the AI question skews young. Among those aged 18 to 34, 54% would keep the conversation going for 15 minutes or more, compared with 39% of those 55 and older — a gap of 15 points. Sports shows the sharpest gender gap: 43% of men would talk about their team for 15 minutes or more, versus 26% of women. Groceries are more of a Democratic talking point, with 45% of Democrats willing to talk for 15 minutes or longer, compared with 30% of Republicans.

The upcoming midterm elections draw both long conversations and quick exits. Overall, 36% would talk about them for 15 minutes or more, while 22% would change the subject — the third-highest change-the-subject share among the 10 topics tested.

Men are more willing than women to talk about the midterms at length (41% versus 31%), and women are almost twice as likely to change the subject (29% versus 15%). By political affiliation, 42% of Democrats would talk about the midterms for 15 minutes or more, compared with 38% of Republicans and 31% of independents.

The widest gap is among Republicans and Republican leaners: 47% of those who identify with the MAGA movement would keep the conversation going for 15 minutes or more, versus 24% of those who do not, a gap of 23 points. Those who did not vote in 2024 are the least engaged, with 12% willing to talk at length and 40% ready to change the subject.

Asked about the proposed natural gas pipeline in Alaska, 27% say they would change the subject, and 26% would do the same for sports. The upcoming midterm elections are not far behind (22%), although 36% would also be willing to talk about them for 15 minutes or more. The topic divides the barbecue.

Everyday topics rarely clear the table: only 4% would change the subject on grocery prices, 5% on gas prices and 3% on the weather. Women are more likely than men to steer away from several of these topics. If sports came up, 31% of women would change the subject, compared with 19% of men, and on the midterms the shares are 29% of women and 15% of men.

Asked to pick the single issue most important to them personally, 31% of Americans choose the cost of groceries and everyday living, followed by corruption and the way government is working (18%), health care (11%), jobs and the economy (8%), immigration (7%) and gas prices (6%).

Corruption is a bigger personal priority for independents (24%) and Democrats (20%) than for Republicans (10%), while immigration is chosen by 13% of Republicans and 4% of Democrats. Priorities also shift with age: jobs and the economy is the top choice of 13% of those aged 18 to 34 but only 4% of those 55 and older, while corruption rises from 12% among the youngest group to 21% among the oldest.

Americans were also asked to rate, one issue at a time, how important each is to others around them when deciding whom to vote for in the midterms. The cost of groceries and everyday living is most often rated one of the top issues (69%), followed by corruption and the way government is working (60%), health care (55%), gas prices (55%) and jobs and the economy (52%).

The widest party differences in what matters to others are on climate change, which 43% of Democrats rate as one of the top issues compared with 11% of Republicans, and health care (70% versus 43%). Immigration runs the other way: 53% of Republicans rate it one of the top issues, compared with 30% of Democrats.