The Joys and Challenges of Interracial Friendships

Rachel Hatzipanagos writes that Americans across the county say navigating interracial friendships can be exhausting and uncomfortable, but also rewarding, according to hundreds of stories shared with The Washington Post. PRRI’s 2022survey of Americans’ social networksfound that among white Americans, 90% of their social networks are also white compared with 78% of Black Americans whose social networks are also Black. Hispanic and Asian Americans have slightly more diverse social circles, with 63% and 65% of their social networks, respectively, made up of people of the same ethnic background.

News Outlets Call on Trump and Biden to Commit to Debates

Over the weekend, a group of major news organizations urged the presumptive presidential nominees to commit to public debates ahead of November’s election in a joint statement described as “unusual” byThe New York Times. Asserting the importance of debates to American democracy, the statement read, “There is no substitute for candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation.” Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that a new survey of 19 countries by the Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance finds that “democratic institutions are falling short of people’s expectations” with voters in eight countries expressing favorable views towards being governed by “a strong leader who doesn’t have to bother with parliament or elections.”

A Controversial Texas Law Has Become a Blueprint for Other States. Immigrant Communities Are Worried

Catherine E. Shoichet at CNN reports that at least nine other states have considered legislation that in some way echoes Texas’ controversial immigration law, SB 4, this year. Last week, Iowa’s governor signed a copycat bill that allows local police to arrest certain undocumented immigrants and grants state judges the power to order deportations, mirroring a law passed in Texas. The law is set to take effect on July 1 and is already causing apprehension among immigrant communities. PRRI research finds that Democrats (80%) have grown more supportive of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, an increase from 71% in 2013. By contrast, fewer Republicans (45%) support a pathway to citizenship than in 2013 (53%).

Most Utahns Willing to Date Across Political Lines

Hanna Seariac at Deseret News reports that while the political dating gap has widened nationally due to increased party polarization in America, Utah is an outlier. A recent poll found that 77% of single Utahns are open to dating across the political spectrum, compared with the national average of 63%. As men and women in younger generations drift farther apart politically, politics has become more of a dealbreaker in both friendships and relationships. In PRRI’s 2022 Social Networks Survey, 58% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats said their close friends shared their same political party affiliation.