An in-depth Pew Research Center report from the Pew-Knight Initiative examines the complexity of Americans’ involvement in society, from their political activity and civic involvement to religious attendance and attention to news. It finds that U.S. adults fall into one of four distinct engagement groups:
- Mobilizers (9% of U.S. adults) are doing it all. This group is the smallest and the most active across politics, civics, news and religion.
- Connectors (28%) are involved, but less political. This group is larger than the Mobilizers and also highly engaged in many ways – including joining groups and making donations – but much less likely than the Mobilizers to be heavily involved in political activities.
- Spectators (31%) keep an eye on things. They follow the news at high rates but are much less likely than the more engaged groups to participate directly in other ways.
- Outsiders (31%) are less involved in most ways. This group is less likely than others to report taking part in most of the activities we asked about – including voting, volunteering and following the news.
The report includes findings on how Republicans and Democrats participate in society in similar ways, how younger and older Americans show up in different ways, and how engagement is connected to Americans’ views of politics and news and their civic knowledge.
