This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Research on political polarization points to how people's preferred news outlets and social media use create information silos, environments in which people primarily encounter views consistent with their own, further cementing those views. But this research often omits an important source of political information: popular culture, from influencers and podcasts to comedy, television and movies.
Politics are intertwined with popular entertainment media. The current president is a former reality television star who was reelected in 2024 with the help of comedy podcasters like Joe Rogan. Blockbuster films such as "The Odyssey" spark controversy and turn into political footballs, while late-night talk show hosts must skirt the Trump administration's regulatory ire with their politically oriented humor.
While we know a lot about the news-consumption habits of Republicans and Democrats, there is less data about the other places that people encounter political ideas. This is particularly true for younger people, who are increasingly likely to get political content from social media influencers and popular culture sources. Political consultant Sarah Longwell of The Bulwark recently told The New York Times' Ezra Klein that many people in her focus groups get political information from an "algorithm-driven information environment" populated by influencers, comedians and sports personalities.
She noted that the "overlap between politics and culture" creates a "vibe" that shapes many people's political decision-making. As co-founders and research affiliates of Colorado State University's Center for Democracy, Art, and Popular Culture, we conducted a survey that documents the pop culture preferences of Americans ages 18–49. We wanted to know whether the siloing that has been observed in Americans' news environments is replicated when younger Americans are consuming entertainment media that often contains political content.
That matters, because popular influencers and entertainers who cross partisan boundaries have an increased ability to shape the political "vibe" discussed by Longwell. And an important finding from our survey is that many of the favorite creators and outlets ranked in the survey feature men and promote masculinity. Pop culture is the diverse collection of cultural productions consumed by members of a society: films, television series, video games, art, music, comedy and the like.
We asked 741 Americans to name their top influencers, podcasts, comedians, musicians, video games, films and television series. We examined results by age and political party. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. d research that matter—daily or weekly.
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