Who Supports White Nationalism in the US? New Study Reveals Key Traits

Demographic and Political Predictors of White Nationalism

The study analyzed more than 7,800 non-Hispanic white US adults across three national surveys conducted in 2021, 2024, and 2024–25 by researchers affiliated with New York University’s Center for Social Media, AI, and Politics. Before answering questions about support for the movement, participants were given a short description outlining its core tenets as commonly invoked by self-described white nationalists. The researchers found that expressed support—which is distinct from organizational affiliation—was elevated among specific demographic and political segments.

According to the paper’s lead author, NYU Professor Patrick Egan, young people typically hold more liberal views on racial matters, but the inverse is true for white nationalist beliefs among young white men. Egan notes that young men have long been prime targets for hard-line messages across the political spectrum, adding that time will tell if the appeal holds as this generation grows older. In addition to young men, backing for white nationalism was found to be higher among white individuals with less education and lower incomes, those who are more religious, and among white Republicans, conservatives, and politically disaffected individuals.

The Role of Social Strain and Economic Distress

Economic hardship and individual strain also emerged as significant predictors of support for the movement. According to James Bisbee, a Vanderbilt University assistant professor of political science and co-author of the study, regions characterized by elevated levels of poverty and joblessness exhibited higher rates of support for white nationalism. The study also linked higher support to personal difficulties such as health problems and the loss of loved ones. According to Bisbee, these factors combine to create conditions for grievance and resentment.

Online Social Networks and Isolation

The research investigated the connection between online activity and extremist beliefs, finding no relationship between the frequency of social media use and support for white nationalism. However, NYU Professor Joshua A. Tucker, co-director of CSMaP and a paper author, explains that endorsement of these ideas is much more prevalent among people whose closest friends are found primarily online rather than offline. Tucker notes that online activity may be especially consequential for individuals who are socially isolated offline, potentially driving them to adopt views that align with their digital communities.

Creating a direct survey tool to gauge fully transparent and informed backing of white nationalism allows researchers to contextualize it among wider white racial viewpoints and determine how it links to behavioral, partisan, and socio-economic traits.

To eliminate the possibility that answers were skewed by question phrasing, survey placement priming, distracted participants, or a tendency to agree, researchers also employed survey experiments. Because nearly all responses were collected online through confidential surveys, the methodology reduced concerns that participants might be reluctant to disclose their true attitudes. Researchers indicate that future research can use this new measure to see if the prevalence and predictors of white nationalism are sustained over time as the movement remains salient in American public life.