---
title: "Loyal Liberals"
description: "Loyal Liberals have broadly progressive political values across many issue areas and a strong allegiance to the Democratic Party. Highly educated and relatively secure economically, they are strong supporters of the United States’ traditional diplomatic alliances. Loyal Liberals are one of nine groups in Pew Research Center’s 2026 Political Typology. To learn more about the […]"
date: "2026-06-10"
authors:
  - name: "Jocelyn Kiley"
    job_title: "Director, Politics Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/jocelyn-kiley/"
  - name: "J. Baxter Oliphant"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher "
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/baxter-oliphant/"
  - name: "Hannah Hartig"
    job_title: "Senior Researcher"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/hannah-hartig/"
  - name: "Gabriel Borelli"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/gabriel-borelli/"
  - name: "Andrew Daniller"
    job_title: "Research Associate"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andrew-daniller/"
  - name: "Steven Shepard"
    job_title: "Associate Director, Politics"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/steven-shepard/"
  - name: "Ted Van Green"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/ted-van-green/"
  - name: "Andy Cerda"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/andy-cerda/"
  - name: "Shanay Gracia"
    job_title: "Research Analyst"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/shanay-gracia/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/loyal-liberals/"
categories:
  - "Partisanship & Issues"
  - "Political Issues"
  - "Political Typology"
  - "Politics & Policy"
  - "U.S. Elections & Voters"
---

# Loyal Liberals

## Liberal across most issues, they are invested in the Democratic Party and in domestic and international institutions

**About this research**

This Pew Research Center study goes beyond Americans’ partisan attachments and vote choices to explore the values and attitudes that underlie the political landscape and the Republican and Democratic parties. We did this by creating a political typology, which classifies the public into nine groups based on their responses to 30 questions about government, economics, immigration, elected officials and other topics. To learn more about this project, jump to “[About the political typology](http://pewresearch.org/political-typology/about)."

#### Why did we do this?

Pew Research Center conducts research to help the public, media and decision-makers understand important topics. We have studied Americans’ political values and attitudes, and their views on politics more broadly, for decades. This is the [ninth version of the political typology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/appendix-c-the-history-of-the-political-typology/); the first was conducted [nearly 40 years ago](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/1987/09/30/the-people-the-press-politics/).

Learn more [about Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/about/).

#### How did we do this?

We surveyed 10,357 U.S. adults from Nov. 17 to 30, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. We then used a statistical technique called cluster analysis to divide people into nine groups. (For more on the process of dividing people into groups and surveys used for analysis, jump to [Appendix B](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/appendix-b-typology-group-creation-and-analysis/).)

Here are the [survey questions](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/PP_2026.5.10_political-typology_questionnaire.pdf) used for this analysis, the [detailed responses](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/PP_2026.5.10_political-typology_topline.pdf) and the [survey methodology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/typology-2026-appendix-a-survey-methodology/).[][]

Loyal Liberals have broadly progressive political values across many issue areas and a strong allegiance to the Democratic Party. Highly educated and relatively secure economically, they are strong supporters of the United States’ traditional diplomatic alliances.

![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/06/LL_quiz.png?w=260&h=260&crop=1){.alignright width=260}

*Loyal Liberals are one of nine groups in Pew Research Center’s 2026 Political Typology. To learn more about the typology, start with the [overview](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology/).* *To find which group is your best fit, [take the quiz](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/quiz/political-typology/). *

**Loyal Liberals generally favor a government with a strong social safety net. **Like [Leftward Progressives](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/leftward-progressives/), they see healthcare as a federal government responsibility and say federal assistance to people in need should be increased. But they are far more likely than Leftward Progressives to believe the current system can provide a pathway to prosperity for Americans.

**Loyal Liberals hold progressive views on many key cultural issues.** They overwhelmingly see same-sex marriage as good for society, strongly support abortion being legal and want to see more done to ensure equal rights for Black Americans. But while they broadly support transgender rights, they express less comfort than Leftward Progressives with transgender athletes.

**Loyal Liberals are:**

- **Less cynical than most other groups about why elected officials ran for office.** They’re the least likely to say all or most ran for office to make a lot of money.

- **Among the most engaged with politics and the news.** They are the most likely group to say they have paid for news in the past year.

- **One of the more economically secure groups.** And more than six-in-ten (61%) have a college degree or more education – far higher than for any other typology group.

- **Overwhelmingly White** – 73% are non-Hispanic White.

**What is the political typology?**

Pew Research Center’s political typology divides the American public into nine political groups based on responses to 30 questions about people’s social and political values and beliefs.

The goal of this long-standing project is to go beyond partisan leanings or vote choices to provide a deeper understanding of the American political landscape. This is the [ninth version of the political typology](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/appendix-c-the-history-of-the-political-typology/) – the first was conducted [nearly 40 years ago.](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/1987/09/30/the-people-the-press-politics/)

These questions were asked in a survey of 10,357 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 17-30, 2025, using Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel – a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults.

For more on the cluster analysis process used to create the groups, the questions used, and how we look at data across multiple surveys, visit [Appendix B.](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/appendix-b-typology-group-creation-and-analysis/)

Take the [typology quiz](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/quiz/political-typology/) to find out which political typology group you fit into.

### Political affiliation, voting and engagement

Loyal Liberals are overwhelmingly Democratic (97% identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party). They are far more likely than those in other groups to consider themselves *strong *Democrats (45%).

### Loyal Liberals’ partisan affiliation

*% who are …*

|  | Strong Dem | Not strong Dem | Lean Dem | No Lean | Lean Rep | Not strong Rep | Strong Rep |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loyal Liberals | 45% | 21% | 30% | 2% | 1% | 1% | <1% |

Note: Not shown in the chart are the less than 1% of Loyal Liberals who identify as strong Republicans.

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted Nov. 17-30, 2025.

**Two-thirds (66%) describe their political views as liberal,** with 20% saying they are “very liberal.” Most of the remaining characterize their views as moderate (30%)

Loyal Liberals are more politically engaged than other Americans. **They are more likely to:**

- **Follow what’s going on in government.** Roughly two-thirds (68%) say they follow what’s going on in government most of the time.

- **Vote.** A large majority (79%) voted for president in 2024. Among those who did vote, nearly all (98%) went for Kamala Harris.

- **Say it really matters who wins control of Congress in 2026** – 86% say this (one of the top groups, along with [No Apologies Right](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/no-apologies-right/)). Registered voters in this group almost universally back Democrats in November (95%).

### Key attitudes and beliefs

**Loyal Liberals are more likely than any other group to say the Democratic Party represents people like them well, cares about people like them and has good ideas.** They are also among the most likely to say that in recent elections, there have consistently been candidates who share their views.

### Loyal Liberals: Deeply liberal at home and abroad, they feel well-represented by the Democratic Party

*% who say …*

| Typology group | The Democratic Party represents interests of people like you well | In recent elections, there is always/often a candidate who shares your views | They oppose suspending all asylum applications | Tax rates on large businesses and corporations should be raised | Same-sex marriages being legal in the U.S. is good for society | Russia is an enemy of the U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Leftward Progressives | 68% | 20% | 98% | 97% | 90% | 48% |
| Loyal Liberals | 82% | 41% | 96% | 92% | 82% | 73% |
| Left-Out Left | 55% | 9% | 83% | 82% | 44% | 47% |
| Order and Opportunity Left | 54% | 19% | 77% | 74% | 27% | 48% |
| Tuned-Out Middle | 49% | 19% | 59% | 54% | 10% | 31% |
| Pragmatic and Polite Right | 33% | 22% | 66% | 62% | 17% | 59% |
| Unconventional Right | 14% | 19% | 51% | 51% | 15% | 43% |
| Faith First Conservatives | 4% | 32% | 42% | 35% | 2% | 51% |
| No Apologies Right | 2% | 42% | 24% | 21% | 6% | 56% |

Note: For full question wordings and distributions, refer to the detailed tables.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted Jan. 27-Feb. 2, Sept. 22-28 and Nov. 17-30, 2025, and Jan. 20-26, 2026.

**Like other typology groups oriented toward the Democratic Party, Loyal Liberals overwhelmingly say the government should expand the services it currently provides (80%).** Nine-in-ten or more say the government has a responsibility to provide clean air and water (99%), reliable energy (96%), quality K-12 education (93%) and health insurance (95%) to all Americans. And a similar share (92%) supports raising tax rates on large corporations.

**Their social and cultural values are firmly progressive, though less so than Leftward Progressives.** Most (82%) say same-sex marriages being legal in the U.S. is good for society – a view shared with Leftward Progressives. They also support abortion being legal and are generally comfortable with someone using the pronouns “they/them” instead of “he” or “she.” Compared with the broader public, they express higher levels of comfort with transgender athletes competing on sports teams that don’t match their sex at birth (28% say they’re extremely/very comfortable, 33% somewhat comfortable, 38% not too/not at all comfortable). But they are not as comfortable with this as Leftward Progressives (77% extremely/very comfortable).

**Loyal Liberals are more likely than other groups to see the nation’s relationship with its allies in a positive light and to value multilateral institutions like NATO.** They are the most likely group to say Russia is an enemy to the U.S. (73% say Russia is an enemy, compared with 51% of Americans overall) and to see Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a major threat to U.S. interests (62% say this vs. 31% overall).

**Loyal Liberals are generally pro-immigration.** Wide majorities oppose the Trump administration’s pauses on asylum and visa applications and ramped-up deportations. And a majority says legal immigration should be increased.

### High levels of trust in institutions

### Loyal Liberals trust national news more than other groups and have more confidence in scientists

*% who say …*

|  | Leftward Progressives | Loyal Liberals | Left-Out Left | Order & Opportunity Left | Tuned-Out Middle | Pragmatic & Polite Right | Unconventional Right | Faith First Conservatives | No Apologies Right | General public |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| They trust the information they get from national news organizations a lot or some | 64% | 82% | 53% | 67% | 52% | 64% | 49% | 37% | 27% | 56% |
| They have a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public | 55% | 67% | 31% | 32% | 17% | 29% | 20% | 9% | 5% | 28% |

Note: For full question wordings and distributions, refer to the detailed tables.

Source: Surveys of U.S. adults conducted Sept. 8-14, Oct. 20-26 and Nov. 17-30, 2025.

Loyal Liberals have greater trust and confidence in many institutions than other Americans and other Democratic-oriented typology groups. For example:

- 82% say they trust the information they get from national news organizations a lot or some, compared with 56% of Americans overall.

- 67% have a great deal of confidence in scientists to act in the public’s best interest. Overall, 28% of Americans share that confidence.

*Jump to the [detailed tables](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jF_J-rdaI6tAROKKMlTqKEz2eOIpTwlPpBOmrS9vWQw/edit?usp=sharing) to learn more about Loyal Liberals and the other typology groups*.[]

---

**Next:** [Leftward Progressives](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2026/06/10/leftward-progressives.md)