Pew Finds 2-Party System Fractured Into 9 Groups in Survey of 10,000 Americans
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 10
Pew Finds 2-Party System Fractured Into 9 Groups in Survey of 10,000 Americans
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 10
Summary
Pew’s June report found the U.S. two-party system now breaks into nine distinct groups, not two broad camps, based on responses from more than 10,000 Americans.
Those clusters span labels such as the “unconventional right,” “left-out left” and “tuned-out middle,” reflecting mixed values and beliefs that cut across traditional Democratic and Republican lines.
The finding feeds a broader argument that America is becoming atomized—splintering into smaller, shifting tribes rather than simply polarizing into two opposing sides.
That fragmentation is also reinforced by online subcultures and influencers, which can create community for niche identities while further weakening shared social and political alignments.