Which topic is the bigger dinner-table exchange killer: our country’s fractious presidential election, or your own household’s finances? 

Both subjects make for uncomfortable conversations, a recent survey finds. But if you really desire to listen the sound of clinking silverware, inquire your loved ones how they spend their money. 

Parents would rather talk to their children about how they’re voting in Tuesday’s election than about their finances, by a spread of 76% to 63%, U.S. financial institution found in a survey published in September.  

And children would rather talk to their parents about whom they would choose as president (68%) than their own finances (55%). The survey reached more than 2,000 Americans.  

Money and elections make for uncomfortable conversations

Americans are notoriously uncomfortable talking to household and friends about money. USA TODAY’S own Uncomfortable Conversations series has delved into societal discomfort about discussing kids’ fundraisers, vacation spending, restaurant bills and inheritances, among other conversational taboos.    

Marital finances are particularly fraught. In one recent survey by Edelman financial Engines, 39% of married adults admitted that their partners didn’t recognize everything about their spending. For divorcees, the figure rose to 50%. 

In the U.S. financial institution survey, more than one-third of Americans said they do not consent with their associate on how to manage money. And roughly one-third said they have lied to their associate about money.  

The recent survey suggests American families may be more open about money now than in prior generations. But there’s still room for advancement. 

Parents said they are almost twice as likely to discuss money management with their kids as their own parents were with them, by a spread of 44% to 24%.  

Yet, fewer than half of grown-up children (44%) said they inquire parents for money advice. Women are more likely than men, 49% vs. 35%, to way parents for financial tips. 

“For many people, discussing money is extremely uncomfortable; this is especially factual with families,” said Scott Ford, president of affluence management at U.S. financial institution, in a release.  

Half of Gen Z-ers have lied about how they’re voting

How we vote, of course, is another potentially uncomfortable exchange.  

A recent Axios survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, finds that half of production Z voters, and one in four voters overall, have lied to people close to them about how they are voting. (The Harris Poll has no connection to the Kamala Harris campaign.) 

Gen Z may be particularly sensitive to political pressures, Axios said, because the cohort came of age in the Donald Trump era, a period of highly polarized politics.  

Roughly one-third of Americans declare the country’s political climate has caused strain in their families, according to a recent survey conducted by Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association.  

In that survey, roughly three in 10 American said they have limited the period they spend with household members who don’t distribute their values.  

“For nearly a decade, people have faced a political climate that is highly charged, which has led to the erosion of civil discourse and strained our relationships with our friends and our families,” said Arthur Evans Jr., CEO of the psychological association. “But isolating ourselves from our communities is a recipe for adding more stress to our lives.”