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/.
Online communities can draw people in with shared interests, support or a sense of belonging. But for some Americans, these spaces aren’t forever, according to a new Pew Research Center survey from the Pew-Knight Initiative.
About a third of U.S. adults say they have ever left an online community, according to the survey conducted May 26-June 1, 2026. This includes both some who currently are in an online community and some who are not.
When people move on from them, they cite a range of reasons – but declining interest is a big one.
Losing interest is the most common reason people cite for leaving an online community. More than eight-in-ten who’ve left one say this, and it’s the only reason a majority name as a major factor for stepping away.
Declining quality and life changes are also reasons that majorities say contribute in at least a minor way to why they’ve left.
Toxicity is another factor: 57% of those who’ve left cite too much arguing. And 43% say it’s because people were being harassed.1
Others stepped away because of politics. Just over four-in-ten say they left an online community because politics was brought up too much.
And as Americans continue to grapple with screen time, 37% left because they were spending too much time there.
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.
By age
Younger adults are more likely to be part of online communities. But adults under 50 are also more likely to have left one, compared with older adults.
- 44% of adults under 30 have left an online community.
- 40% of those in their 30s and 40s have.
Fewer of those ages 50 to 64 (32%) say they have left one, and this drops further to 19% of those 65 and older.
Younger adults are also more likely to cite several reasons why they’ve left. Most notably, they will more often leave based on their changing life needs.
Among those who’ve left one, majorities of those ages 18 to 29 and 30 to 49 report leaving because it was no longer needed due to a life change. This is higher than older groups.
There are other age differences as well. For example:
- Those under 50 are more likely to cite reasons like declining community quality, feeling a lack of belonging and spending too much time there.
- Alternatively, those under 30 are the least likely to say they left because politics was brought up too much.
By political party
Roughly similar shares of Republicans and Democrats have left online communities (32% vs. 36%). But Republicans stand out for leaving them because of politics.
Among those who’ve left an online community, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say they’ve left because politics came up too much (50% vs. 39%). (Republicans and Democrats include independents who lean toward each party.)
Liberal Democrats are particularly unlikely to say this (32%), while there is no significant difference by ideology among Republicans.
Go to our findings on politics and online communities to learn more.