Pew Knight Initiative
The Pew-Knight Initiative supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. Knight Foundation is a social investor committed to supporting informed and engaged communities. Learn more >
About this research
This report from the Pew-Knight Initiative focuses on online community and connection today. It looks at who’s part of online communities, where they form, what they’re built around, why people go to them – and why some people leave. It also examines what people think the internet is doing to connection overall.
Why we did this
The Center conducts research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. We’ve long studied what online connection looks like for Americans. At a time when fewer than half of Americans are highly satisfied with their social life – or with the quality of life in their local community – it’s important to understand the role online communities play, good and bad.
Learn more about Pew Research Center.
How we did this
We surveyed 9,750 U.S. adults from May 26 to June 1, 2026. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey represents the views of the full U.S. adult population.
Here are the survey questions used for this report, the detailed responses and the methodology.
This is a Pew Research Center report from the Pew-Knight Initiative, a research program funded jointly by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Find related reports online at https://www.pewresearch.org/pew-knight/.
Key findings:
- 48% of young adults are part of online communities, outpacing older adults.
- These communities often offer unique value: For many, their go-to space is something they can only get online.
- Most go to them for information, fun or advice. Fewer go to them for acceptance or meeting people.
- Many think politics doesn’t belong in the space they visit most – 54% say this.
- Not everyone’s sold on online connection. About half of adults say it’s not as meaningful as in-person relationships.
- The most common reason people leave online communities? Losing interest.
At a time when many are worrying about fraying social ties and rising loneliness, some Americans are finding community online.
A new Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative finds that nearly four-in-ten U.S. adults are part of an online community – and that share rises to about half among young adults.
For some, these communities are deeply valuable parts of their lives. They widely offer information, advice or experiences people say they could only get online.
Still, these benefits sit alongside doubts about making genuine connections online. About half of Americans question whether online relationships can be as meaningful as those formed in person. Fewer – 34% – think they can be just as meaningful.
There’s an age divide on this topic as well. Adults under 30 are far more likely than those ages 65 and older to say online relationships can be just as meaningful as in-person ones (54% vs. 14%).
How did we study online communities?
Our questions asked about feeling part of a community online. We wanted to capture a wide range of spaces and experiences that someone might consider as online community. Here’s how we explained the topic further:
By this, we mean people connecting with others online, such as by joining or feeling part of a group or doing things together. This could happen in places like social media, online discussion forums, by emailing or messaging with a group, or in video games online.
Follow-up questions focused on the community people spend the most time in – we call this their most-visited online community.
Where online communities form and what they’re about
More than two decades after the Center studied online communities in 2001, these spaces still vary in where they form, what they offer and who turns to them.
It’s most common to find online community on social media. About a quarter of Americans are part of an online community on social media sites or apps.
Discussion forums come next – 15% are part of an online community in places like Reddit, Nextdoor or Discord.
Fewer are part of an online community on video sites like YouTube and Twitch, in video games online, or on messaging apps.
And 5% are part of one on sites or apps for people who share a hobby – like Goodreads for reading, Strava for running, Ravelry for knitting or Letterboxd for movies.
When it comes to what these communities focus on: Hobbies and local area top the list. About one-in-five Americans say they are part of an online community related to each.
Roughly one-in-ten adults say they’re in one about topics like movies, books or TV shows; video games; or their work or profession. A similar share says they’re in fan communities of any kind.
And while politics can come up in a range of places, 8% of Americans are in an online community specifically related to politics or political issues.
Read more about what people think of politics in online communities.
Age, again, is an important factor: Young adults are more likely than all other groups to be part of several kinds of communities. For example, that’s true for online communities about video games; beauty or fashion; movies, books or TV shows; hobbies; and fan communities.
Gaming has one of the biggest gaps. About a quarter of adults under 30 (27%) are part of one about video games. This drops to 16% of those in their 30s and 40s and 4% of those 50 and older.
Participation also varies by other factors. Some examples are:
- Gender: 15% of women are part of an online community specifically for women, largely driven by women under 50; 5% of men say they’re in one specifically for men.
- Being a parent: 17% of parents with a child under 18 say they’re part of an online community about parenting. Moms are more likely than dads to say so (21% vs. 11%).
- Race and ethnicity: Roughly one-in-five Black adults (17%) are part of a community related to race and ethnicity. About one-in-ten Asian or Hispanic adults say this and 2% of White adults.
For more on who’s part of an online community in general, go to the appendix.
Do people find value in online communities?
Online communities are widely seen as unique spaces and can add deeply to people’s lives.
About a quarter of those in online communities say these places are highly valuable to them. A larger share – about four-in-ten – finds some value there.
Together, about seven-in-ten say these spaces add something to their lives. Still, 29% of those who are part of online communities say they bring little to no value.
Both younger and older adults tend to find at least some value in these places. But adults under 50 in them are more likely to say they add deeply to their lives, compared with older adults (32% vs. 20%).
What are people taking away from the communities they go to most?
It’s common to be part of multiple online communities. In fact, 85% of those in online communities are part of more than one.
To better understand people’s experiences, we asked some questions about the one they visit most often.
First, we asked people to tell us in a few words what the focus of their most-visited community is.
These covered a vast array of topics, such as a specific hobby, neighborhood, musical group, medical condition or identity, for example. Other communities focused on connecting and talking with others.
Not only do some people find deep value in these spaces, but many also see them as offering something unique that they cannot get elsewhere.
About six-in-ten in online communities say their most-visited one is something they could only find online. A smaller share says it’s something they could find elsewhere.
What motivates people to turn to online communities?
People seek out online communities for a variety of reasons, but there are three near the top of our list: to stay informed, for fun or to get advice or recommendations.
About eight-in-ten or more say they go to their most-visited community for each of these. This includes more than half who cite information and fun as major reasons.
Smaller shares – though still majorities – say a major or minor reason they visit their go-to space is to share their thoughts or get support.
Just over half also say they go there because they feel accepted. And fewer say it’s to meet new people or for the drama.
Young adults are more likely than older age groups to turn to online communities because they feel accepted or to meet new people – but also for the drama.
For example, when asked about their most-visited online community, roughly six-in-ten under 30 say they go there to meet new people. Among those in their 30s and 40s, fewer (46%) say the same. And this share drops further for those 50 and older.
The pattern is similar for seeing if there’s drama or feeling accepted. But those in their 30s and 40s are just as likely as young adults to go to these places for support, advice or recommendations, or to share their thoughts.
And on some reasons – like staying informed – there is little difference by age. Most across groups say this is a motivator.
Connection in online communities
There are many ways online communities can bring value to people’s lives. All told, meeting people is fairly low on the list of motivators. We see that reflected in people’s feelings, too.
About one-in-five say they feel extremely or very close to others in these spaces, and an additional 37% feel somewhat close.
But nearly half don’t feel very close to others in their most-visited community. That includes 14% who don’t feel close at all.
People tend to start fresh in these spaces. Most (68%) knew very few or none of the people there before joining.
And it’s less common to feel close to others if you knew few people starting out. Of those who knew very few or no one, about one-in-ten say they feel extremely or very close to people there today.
Even so, these spaces start conversations that are often part of members’ daily lives. The vast majority of those in online communities – 74% – say they ever post or share in the one they visit most.
And nearly six-in-ten (56%) say they go to their most-visited community every day. That’s one-in-five U.S. adults overall who say they’re in an online community daily.
Not all online communities are limited to the internet. In some, the line between online and offline is blurred. When asked about their most-visited space, about a third say that it has in-person gatherings, too.
Is online connection meaningful?
When we ask Americans for their take on online relationships more broadly – regardless of if they’re in an online community or not – we find many doubt the value of online connection.
About half of Americans overall say personal relationships formed online are not as meaningful as in-person ones. About one-third say they can be just as meaningful, while 20% aren’t sure.
But views on this issue vary a lot by age. Adults under 30 are the only age group in which more say online relationships can be just as meaningful, than say they don’t measure up.
And while a quarter of those who are not in an online community find digital connection on par with in-person, this rises to 48% of those who are in one.
Skepticism also shows up in broader views of the internet’s role in how people relate to each other. More Americans say the internet tends to drive people apart, than think it tends to bring them together (31% vs. 11%).
But by far the largest share – 58% – thinks the internet does both about equally.
Unlike when we ask about relationships, there’s little difference by age here. Across groups, more say the internet divides than unites. And the largest shares in each group say it does both.
These tensions can be felt in online communities, too. The ones people visit most often are widely viewed as respectful. Still, tone can cross a line: Too much arguing is among the reasons why people leave online communities, though not the most common one.
Read more about who has left an online community – and why.