Quarterly Update
A message from Pew Research Center President Michael Dimock · Subscribe ↗
A deeper look at America’s political landscape
We’ve just published our ninth political typology – our latest portrait of the groups that make up America’s political landscape. While U.S. politics is often portrayed as a battle between red and blue, the typology reveals a far more complex picture: nine distinct groups, each defined by its own mix of values, beliefs and experiences. These include four highly ideological and engaged groups – two on the right and two on the left – and five other groups in a large and messy political middle.
Here’s how the typology works. First, our researchers develop a wide-ranging survey with questions about salient political topics. Then we look for patterns to identify people who share similar attitudes and beliefs. Finally, using these patterns, we identify distinct groups of like-minded Americans, ignoring party labels and focusing only on deeper values. In some cases, people who lean toward one party still hold views that are more typical of the other – a reminder that political identities and values don’t always align.
The two most right-leaning groups and the two most left-leaning groups in this year’s typology may hold opposing views on many issues, but all of them are highly ideological and highly engaged. These four groups often are the “loudest voices in the room,” shaping how people experience politics day to day. Yet they do not represent the majority of Americans. That majority lies in the other groups, who are more politically mixed and not as attuned to politics. As a result, they’re also less visible in shaping it.
The political typology was the idea that launched Pew Research Center back in 1987, and over nearly four decades, it’s evolved alongside the nation itself. Each iteration reflects changes in how Americans think about government, society and their place in public life.
This year’s edition underscores a central challenge in U.S. politics: How can leaders build coalitions in a country where many people don’t fully align with either party, and where some are disengaging from politics altogether?
I hope you enjoy exploring the new groups and finding your best match with our updated quiz.
All my best,
Michael Dimock
President, Pew Research Center
Political Typology 2026
Are you Unconventional Right? Loyal Liberal? Or something else? Answer questions about your views and values and we’ll match you with the typology group that fits you best. You can also create a community quiz to compare results with friends, family or classmates.
After taking the quiz, use our data explorer to compare the political and demographic characteristics of the nine typologies. Our full report examines not only where these groups stand on a range of policy issues, but also how they differ in their views of the Republican and Democratic parties, their political participation and preferred news sources, and so much more.
- Explore the nine typologies: No Apologies Right | Faith First Conservatives | Unconventional Right | Pragmatic and Polite Right | Tuned-Out Middle | Order and Opportunity Left | Left-Out Left | Loyal Liberals | Leftward Progressives
