Left-Leaning Influencers Test Bluesky While Sticking with X, Pew Research Finds
Many prominent left-leaning social media influencers have recently joined Bluesky, but a new analysis from the Pew Research Center attempts to quantify this platform shift. The study, an update to Pew’s November 2024 news influencer report (which didn’t include Bluesky), examines a group of 500 influencers with over 100,000 followers on major platforms who regularly post about current events.
The Bluesky-centric update revealed that by February/March of this year, 43% of these influencers had a Bluesky account, with just over half of those accounts created after the 2024 presidential election.
A significant divide exists between right- and left-leaning influencers. According to the Pew Research, 69% of left-leaning accounts (those explicitly identifying as liberals or Democrats and supporting Kamala Harris or Joe Biden before the election) have moved to Bluesky, compared to only 15% of their conservative counterparts.
This move to Bluesky doesn’t necessarily signal a complete abandonment of X (formerly Twitter). While Elon Musk’s alignment with Donald Trump appeared to drive new users to Bluesky, a substantial 82% of the influencers tracked by Pew still maintain an account on X, a slight decrease from 85% in the summer of 2025.
Even with their presence on Bluesky, the majority (87%) of left-leaning influencers haven’t completely left X. The research also suggests that influencers generally post more frequently on X compared to Bluesky.
However, Bluesky activity seems to be on the rise. The percentage of influencers actively posting on Bluesky increased from 54% in the first week of January to 66% in the last full week of March.
