Meyocks has a holiday tradition of serving up national survey results, and this year’s bounty includes this nugget: if you want to annoy your relatives at the Thanksgiving banquet, pay attention to your mobile phone instead of chatting to Aunt Nellie. 

In fact, fellow Americans, nearly 7 in 10 of us (69%) find people using phones and other mobile devices at the Thanksgiving table annoying, perhaps because we are supposed to be giving thanks instead of betting on the football game or checking the “likes” on our photo of a pumpkin pie with the Minnesota Vikings’ logo burned into the filling. 

Still, knowing these behaviors are anti-social, ungrateful and maybe just plain wrong, 43% of us still allow them. Perhaps that’s because no one messes with cousin Chris. He played for the Barnstormers, you know. Linebacker. And he likes to be connected. Are you going to tell him “no?”

Besides — gasp! — 32% of you admit that you go for your devices, too. Even though it irritates you when others do the same. 

The survey of 1,461 Americans found that many of you are giving the impression you love your smartphone more than you cherish your family members.

“So many Americans are glued to their smartphones,” said Doug Jeske, president of Meyocks, a West Des Moines agency focused on food, agriculture, health and mentor brands. “And, of course, this phenomenon shows up at the Thanksgiving table. It’s ironic that most Americans say they want to be with family at Thanksgiving while disconnecting with them when they are there.”  

But Doug, you know how many teams fail to cover the point spread on turkey day? Inquiring bettors need to know. And, wow, who would have thought that Facebook post on how to best practice saying, “OK, Boomer,” before a family dinner would score so many hits!

Jeske must have a model family. I once had a colleague who said her husband considered wearing football gear to Thanksgiving because the corn-fed cousins in Nebraska — two grown men — made an annual tradition of punching each other in the face while giving thanks for… what…ice?

You would think politics would start the fights. But Meyocks found that even with a, well, lively 2020 election cycle well underway, only 17% say that politics are usually discussed at Thanksgiving. That’s down from 24% in 2016, the survey’s first year.

Maybe we are afraid to start something with the kin. Plus, they are all reading their phones, anyway. 

On a positive note, 54% of you talk about family joys rather than politics, with a helping of Black Friday sales talk mixed in. 

Curious how many order groceries, pray or serve mac and cheese on the holiday? See the full survey results here.