America’s Eight Political Tribes

America’s political landscape is made up of eight distinct tribes, each shaped by a different blend of social and economic views, attitudes toward institutions, and political loyalties.

These groups reveal divisions that conventional left-right labels often miss—from voters who combine economic populism with social conservatism to institutionalists, optimists, and people disillusioned with both parties.

Rather than forming a single ideological spectrum, the tribes reflect different combinations of cultural outlook, economic priorities, partisan attachment, and trust in institutions. Those cross-pressures help explain why voters who agree on one issue can diverge sharply on another.