1200 Conversation Questions
1200 Conversation Questions
1200 Conversation Questions
Technology
Social Media
_________
Smartphones
_________
_________
Do you think you’ve already forged your lifelong taste in music?CreditGabriel Alcala
Image
Do you think you’ve already forged your lifelong taste in music?CreditGabriel Alcala
Music
_________
Television
_________
Video Games
_________
_________
Writing
_________
The Arts
_________
Language & Speech
_________
What is the most memorable concept you’ve learned in science class, and how did you
learn it?CreditCarlos Gonzalez for The New York Times
School
_________
_________
_________
Education Tech
_________
_________
College
_________
_________
Image
Do you ever talk about issues of race and class with your friends?CreditSam Hodgson
for The New York Times
Parenting
_________
Family
_________
Childhood Memories
_________
Growing Up
520. Is It Harder to Grow Up in the 21st Century Than It Was in the Past?
521. Is Modern Culture Ruining Childhood?
522. Are Adults Hurting Young Children by Pushing Them to Achieve?
523. Is Childhood Today Too Risk-Free?
524. Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies?
525. What Have You Learned in Your Teens?
526. What Do You Remember Best About Being 12?
527. What Personal Achievements Make You Proud?
528. What Are You Grateful For?
529. What Are Some Recent Moments of Happiness in Your Life?
530. What Rites of Passage Have You Participated In?
531. What Advice Would You Give Younger Kids About Middle or High School?
532. What Have You Learned From Older People?
533. What Have You Learned From a Younger Person — and What Have You Taught An
Older Person?
534. What Can Older People Learn From Your Generation?
535. What Do Older Generations Misunderstand About Yours?
536. Do You Recognize Yourself in Descriptions of ‘Generation Z’?
537. What Should We Call Your Generation?
538. When Do You Become an Adult?
539. Do You Have ‘Emerging Adult’ Skills?
540. When You Are Old Enough to Vote, Will You?
541. When Should You Be Able to Buy Cigarettes, Drink Alcohol, Vote, Drive and Fight
in Wars?
542. Does Your Generation Have Too Much Self-Esteem?
543. Is Your Generation More Self-Centered Than Earlier Generations?
544. Do You Think Anxiety Is A Serious Problem Among Young People?
545. Is Our Culture of Online Shaming Out of Control?
546. Do ‘Shame and Blame’ Work to Change Teenage Behavior?
547. Do You Think Teenagers Can Make a Difference in the World?
_________
Overcoming Adversity
_________
Your Personality
_________
_________
Role Models
679. Who Are the People – Famous or Not – You Admire Most?
680. Who Are Your Heroes?
681. What Is a Hero?
682. Do We Need More Diverse Superheroes?
683. Who Is Your Role Model?
684. Who Inspires You?
685. What Makes Someone a Great Leader?
686. What Acts of Bravery Have You Witnessed?
687. What’s the Best Advice You’ve Gotten?
688. What Are Some ‘Words of Wisdom’ That Guide Your Life?
689. Who Outside Your Family Has Made a Difference in Your Life?
690. If You Had Your Own Talk Show, Whom Would You Want to Interview?
691. To Whom, or What, Would You Like to Write a Thank-You Note?
692. What Leader Would You Invite to Speak at Your School?
693. What Six People, Living or Dead, Would You Invite to Dinner?
694. Who’s Your ‘Outsider Role Model’?
_________
Gender
695. Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender?
696. Do Parents Have Different Hopes and Standards for Their Sons Than for Their
Daughters?
697. How Do Your Parents Share the Responsibilities of Parenting?
698. How Do Male and Female Roles Differ in Your Family?
699. Do You Consider Yourself a Feminist?
700. What Does Feminism Mean to You?
701. What Have You Learned From the Women in Your Life?
702. What Experiences Have You Had With Gender Bias in School?
703. Is School Designed More for Girls Than Boys?
704. Why Do Boys Lag Behind Girls in Reading?
705. Does Separating Boys and Girls Help Students Perform Better in School?
706. Is Single-Sex Education Still Useful?
707. What Does it Mean to Be ‘a Real Man’?
708. Do We Need to Teach Boys and Men to Be More Emotionally Honest?
709. Is It O.K. for Men and Boys to Comment on Women and Girls on the Street?
710. What Have Been Your Experiences With Catcalling or Other Kinds of Street
Harassment?
711. What Should We Do to Fight Sexual Violence Against Young Women?
712. How Should the Problem of Sexual Assault on Campuses Be Addressed?
713. What Is Your Reaction to the #MeToo Movement?
714. Why Aren’t There More Girls in Leadership Roles?
715. Do Professional Women Need a ‘Girls’ Lounge’?
716. Why Aren’t More Girls Choosing to Pursue Careers in Math and Science?
717. Why Aren’t More Girls Pursuing Careers in Computing and Tech Fields?
718. Should Women Be Allowed to Fight on the Front Lines Alongside Men?
719. Now That Women Can Serve in All Combat Roles in the U.S. Military, Should They
Also Be Required to Register for the Draft?
720. Do Female Athletes Get Short Shrift?
721. Should Sports Be Coed?
722. Should the Boy Scouts Be Coed?
723. Do You Believe in Equal Rights for Women and Men?
724. Does the U.S. Constitution Need an Equal Rights Amendment?
725. Is It Harder Being a Girl?
726. Do We Need New Ways to Identify Gender and Sexuality?
727. Should Toys Be More Gender-Neutral?
728. Should There Be More Boy Dolls?
730. Can a Boy Wear a Skirt to School?
731. Should Transgender People Be Allowed to Use the Bathroom of Their Choice?
732. What Rules Should Apply to Transgender Athletes When They Compete?
733. Are Women Better at Compromising and Collaborating?
734. Do Boys Have Less Intense Friendships Than Girls?
_________
_________
748. How Much Does Your Neighborhood Define Who You Are?
749. What’s Special About Your Hometown?
750. What Marketing Slogan Would You Use for Your Town or City?
751. What Would You Name Your Neighborhood?
752. Who Are the ‘Characters’ That Make Your Town Interesting?
753. Who Is the ‘Mayor’ of Your School or Neighborhood?
754. What Do the Types of Dogs in Your Neighborhood Say About Where You Live?
755. What Would a TV Show About Your Town Spoof?
756. What ‘Urban Legends’ Are There About Places in Your Area?
757. Do You Know Your Way Around Your City or Town?
758. How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?
759. What Is Your Favorite Place?
760. What’s Your Favorite Neighborhood Joint?
761. What Is Your Favorite Street?
762. Do You Hang Out in the Park?
763. How Much Time Do You Spend in Nature?
764. How Do You Get Your Nature Fix?
765. What Small Things Have You Seen and Taken Note Of Today?
766. What Buildings Do You Love? What Buildings Do You Hate?
767. What Are the Sounds That Make Up the Background Noise in Your Life?
768. What Sounds Annoy You?
769. What Public Behavior Annoys You Most?
770. Have You Ever Interacted With the Police?
771. What Local Problems Do You Think Your Mayor Should Try to Solve?
772. What Ideas Do You Have for Enhancing Your Community?
773. Where Do You Think You Will Live When You Are an Adult?
774. Do You Think That in Your 20s You Will Live in a City?
775. Would You Most Want to Live in a City, a Suburb or the Country?
776. Do You Think You Might Like Communal Living When You’re an Adult?
777. What Would Your Ideal City Look Like?
778. What City or Town Most Captures Your Imagination?
779. Would You Want a Bike Share Program for Your Community?
780. Is Your Bedroom a Nightmare?
781. What is Your Favorite Place in Your House?
782. What’s Your Favorite Room?
783. How Important Is Keeping a Clean House?
784. Do You Need to De-Clutter Your Life?
785. Does Keeping a Messy Desk Make People More Creative?
786. Do You Plan on Saving Any of Your Belongings for the Future?
787. With Your Home in Danger, What Would You Try to Save?
788. What Would You Grab in a Fire?
789. What Would You Put in Your Emergency ‘Go-Bag’?
790. Who Lived Long Ago Where You Live Now?
791. What Would Your Dream Home Be Like?
_________
792. What Are Your Expectations About Earning, Saving and Spending Money?
793. What Choices Do You Make About Money Every Day?
794. Are You a Saver or a Spender?
795. What Have Your Parents Taught You About Money?
796. Do You Expect Your Parents to Give You Money?
797. How Much Financial Help Do You Expect From Your Parents in the Future?
798. How Important a Role Has Money, Work or Social Class Played in Your Life?
799. Do You See Great Disparities of Wealth in Your Community?
800. Is It Possible to Start Out Poor in This Country, Work Hard and Become Well-Off?
801. Should Rich People Have to Pay More Taxes?
802. Do We Need a Higher Minimum Wage?
803. Can Money Buy You Happiness?
804. Does Buying and Accumulating More and More Stuff Make Us Happier?
805. What Are the Best Things in Life and Are They Free?
806. What Causes Should Philanthropic Groups Finance?
807. Should Charities Focus More on America?
808. What Organizations Do You Think People Should Give to This Holiday Season?
809. Whom, or What, Would You Want to Help With a Crowdfunding Campaign?
810. Do Poor People ‘Have It Easy’?
811. Should People Give Money to Panhandlers?
ADVERTISEMENT
_________
What If...
_________
Image
How do you think technology affects dating?CreditDanielle Chenette
Friendship
_________
_________
_________
_________
Travel
_________
_________
_________
Image
_________
_________
Government Policy
1,199. What Event in the Past Do You Wish You Could Have Witnessed?
1,200. What Are the Most Important Changes, in Your Life and in the World, in the Last
Decade?
1,201. What National or International Events That You Lived Through Do You
Remember Best?
1,202. What Famous Figure From the Past Fascinates You Most?
1,203. What Does Dr. King’s Legacy Mean to You?
1,204. Who Do You Think Has Been ‘Overlooked’ By History?
1,205. What Recent Events Will Most Likely Be Featured in History Museums Someday?
1,206. Why Should We Care About Events in Other Parts of the World?
1,207. What News Stories Are You Following?
1,208. How Do You Get Your News?
1,209. Are You Having More Conversations With Friends and Family About Politics?
1,210. What Is Your Reaction to the Recent Flood of Breaking Political News?
1,211. Do You Ever Get the ‘Bad News Blues’?
1,212. Are We Being Bad Citizens If We Don’t Keep Up With the News?
1,213. Is Your Online World Just a ‘Filter Bubble’ of People With the Same Opinions?
1,214. Do Your Friends on Social Media All Have the Same Political Opinions You Do?
1,215. How Do You Know if What You Read Online Is True?
1,216. Do You Think You Can Tell When Something Is ‘Fake News’?
1,217. Do You Believe in Online Conspiracy Theories?
1,218. What Are Your Experiences With Internet-Based Urban Legends?
1,219. Are Political Memes Dangerous to Democracy?
1,220. Should National Monuments Be Protected by the Government?
1,221. Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place?
1,222. What Supreme Court Cases, Now or in the Past, Interest You Most?
1,223. Should Free Speech Protections Include Self Expression That Discriminates?
1,224. Is It O.K. to Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Couples Based on Religious Beliefs?
1,225. What Will You Remember About President Obama and His Legacy?