Americans at the ends of the ideological spectrum are the most active in national politics

U.S. adults who fall on either end of the ideological spectrum are more active than other Americans across several measures of political engagement, from voting to posting about politics on social media to donating to campaigns. Americans who hold less consistently liberal or conservative views, by contrast, tend to be less engaged on these topics, as Pew Research Center studies have long found. Here are some recent findings that illustrate this dynamic.

In a major 2021 study, the Center sorted Americans into nine political typology groups, based on an analysis of their political attitudes and values. The typology groups at either end of the political spectrum – Faith and Flag Conservatives on the right and Progressive Left on the left – are also the most politically engaged by several measures. The groups toward the middle of the ideological spectrum, those deemed Stressed Sideliners, Ambivalent Right or Outsider Left, have much lower levels of political engagement

About 85% of adults in the two groups at the ends of the political spectrum voted in 2020 (85% of Faith and Flag Conservatives and 86% of Progressive Left). Moving from either end of the typology toward more ideologically mixed groups shows a gradual decrease in turnout. Faith and Flag Conservatives and those categorized as Progressive Left were also the most likely to report having contributed money to candidates and political organizations in 2020, to have posted support for a candidate or campaign on social media, and to have attended political rallies in person or virtually.