At Raconteur Media Company, we conducted a nationwide voter research study before the 2026 election cycle because we wanted to learn what moves voters to make decisions so that we could better inform our clients.
In this post we’ll discuss the four types of voters. Our research found four distinct attitudinal segments. We like to think of these as cohorts or segments centered around a mindset about what motivates these voters to vote. We determine these groups through statistical analysis. We did not ask people are you this type of voter or that type of voter. Rather, the cohorts arise from a set of attitudes respondents connect to each other without realizing it. The data shows us these cohorts span party affiliation, too. While this does not mean Republican or Democrats in the same voter type will agree on issues or solutions, they do share motivations to vote and a mindset of what they expect from their candidates.
Meet the Four Types of Voters
Civic-Minded Voters (25.3%)
The Civic-Minded Voters have a sense of duty when it comes to voting and see it as an essential civic activity.
100% of these respondents rated the following statements as “Strong agreement” – “Even when I’m frustrated with politics, I still believe it’s important to vote.” “I feel proud to vote.” It’s rare to see such definitive strong agreement in attitudinal segmentation.
Connected Voters (23.9%)
The Connected Voters stand out due to their information-sharing habits. They seek to discuss politics with people they know and hope to inspire others to become more politically involved. Avid consumers of political information, they have go-to sources they trust and consider themselves particularly savvy at spotting misinformation.
Disillusioned Voters (25.3%)
The Disillusioned Voters have a jaded perspective on our political system. These respondents have little faith in the direction politicians are taking our country.
Locally-Focused Voters (25.6%)
The Locally-Focused Voters are more concerned with what’s happening in their local elections than statewide or national politics. They are much more tuned in to the significance of local election outcomes.
Recommendations
These are great prisms for quickly understanding voters and shaping communication to deliver a message that resonates with their mindset. These are also prisms to help you understand that not every voter is ready to be a volunteer or a donor. And, conversely, maybe 25% of your supporter base is primed and ready to share information about your campaign, which will help spread word-of-mouth advertising that is key and free.