Overview
- The report, published July 16, 2026, groups U.S. adults into Mobilizers, Connectors, Spectators and Outsiders using cluster analysis of 19 measures of political activity, volunteering, religious attendance and news habits.
- Older adults are far more likely to be Connectors who vote, donate and take part in community life while younger adults are concentrated among Spectators who follow news online more than they take offline civic actions.
- Younger people show higher rates of online news behaviors such as liking or saving posts and privately sharing or chatting about news, while older Americans report more traditional participation like voting and donating.
- Democrats and Republicans have similar mixes across the four groups, but independents—especially non‑leaners—are more likely to be in the least engaged Outsiders.
- Pew used a multimode address‑based survey (July–Dec 2025) and validated clusters with the American Trends Panel, and it warns that the measures cover the 12 months including the 2024 election so results may shift at other points in the political cycle.