Left-Leaning Influencers on Bluesky & X (Twitter)

Bluesky Adoption Among News Influencers: A Pew Research Center Analysis

Recent data from the Pew Research Center indicates a notable migration of prominent, left-leaning social media accounts to the platform Bluesky. This analysis seeks to provide quantifiable insights into this observed trend.

Expanding on Previous Research

This report serves as an addendum to Pew’s earlier news influencer study, initially published in November 2024. The original report did not incorporate Bluesky into its assessment. It concentrated on a select cohort of 500 influencers.

These influencers were defined by having over 100,000 followers across major platforms and consistently sharing commentary on current affairs.

Key Findings: Account Creation and Timing

Pew’s updated research, focusing on the same group of 500 influencers, revealed that 43% had established a presence on Bluesky as of February/March. A significant majority – 51% – of these accounts were created following the 2024 presidential election.

Ideological Divide in Platform Adoption

A stark contrast exists in Bluesky adoption rates between influencers identifying with different political ideologies. 69% of those leaning left – explicitly identifying as liberals or Democrats and demonstrating support for Kamala Harris or Joe Biden – have joined Bluesky.

Conversely, only 15% of conservative influencers have made the transition to the platform.

Impact on X (Formerly Twitter) Usage

The shift to Bluesky doesn't appear to have caused a mass exodus from X. Despite Elon Musk’s alignment with President Donald Trump potentially motivating users to explore alternatives, 82% of the tracked influencers still maintain an active X account.

This represents a slight decrease from 85% recorded in the summer of 2025.

Continued Dominance of X for Content Posting

Even with increased Bluesky activity, the majority (87%) of left-leaning influencers have not ceased using X. Pew’s data also indicates that most influencers continue to prioritize X for regular content publication.

Growing Engagement on Bluesky

However, engagement on Bluesky is demonstrably increasing. The proportion of influencers actively posting on the platform rose from 54% during the first week of January to 66% in the final week of March.

This suggests a growing commitment to utilizing Bluesky as a platform for sharing information and engaging with audiences.