A new report reveals that the U.S. electorate is far more complex than the familiar two-party narrative suggests. The study, published divides American adults into nine distinct political groups based on their values, attitudes, and priorities, showing that partisan labels alone fail to capture the nuances of public opinion.
The report from Pew Research Center draws on a survey by 10,357 adults conducted in November 2025, using responses to 30 questions covering political, social, and cultural issues to identify clusters of shared beliefs and behaviors.
The nine political groups vary widely in ideology, engagement, and party affiliation. On the left, Leftward Progressives make up 7 percent of adults and are highly liberal on nearly all issues. Loyal Liberals, 11 percent of the population, in turn maintain a strong attachment to the Democratic Party and high institutional trust.
The study also found that a small minority of the nine groups were strongly "ideological, partisan, and politically active."
"Most Americans fall into groups within a large, politically messy center – even as many of them clearly favor one party over the other."
The Left-Out Left, representing 12 percent, hold liberal views but feel politically ignored or unrepresented, whereas Order and Opportunity Left make up 18 percent and blend center-left economic pragmatism with concern for opportunity and fairness. The middle includes the Tuned-Out Middle, 9 percent of adults characterized by low political engagement and mixed views.
Right-leaning clusters include the Pragmatic and Polite Right at 11 percent: they are moderate conservatives who often diverge from party orthodoxy. The Unconventional Right, at 12 percent, holds conservative views but is less aligned with mainstream GOP rhetoric.
The Faith First Conservatives, 12 percent, are socially conservative and traditionalist, and the No Apologies Right, standing at 9 percent, represent highly ideological, hard-line conservatives.
Many voters may align with a party on certain issues but differ on others, making political identity a composite of economic, cultural, and social priorities rather than a single label. Ideologically consistent and highly engaged groups, such as the No Apologies Right, Faith First Conservatives, Leftward Progressives, and Loyal Liberals, tend to influence the political agenda more directly due to higher voter turnout.
In contrast, clusters like the Tuned-Out Middle, Pragmatic and Polite Right, Unconventional Right, Order and Opportunity Left, and Left-Out Left include voters whose policy views do not fully match their party, complicating predictions about electoral outcomes.
The report also highlights demographic patterns within the typology. Younger adults are overrepresented among left-leaning clusters, while older voters are more common among conservative groups. Hispanic and Black adults tend to cluster in center-left segments, while white adults are dispersed across the spectrum.
The report ultimately concludes that "To build winning coalitions, they must address the concerns of people who don't fully support either party's agenda."
