What is the background difference between patriots and loyalists?

Answer 1

The background differences between patriots and loyalists changed during the war. In the early days, the loyalists in the South and Mid Atlantic States were the people on the sea islands and the tidewater region. The king also had the loyalty of the Scottish settlers and the religious people. Likewise the king also had a number of land owners and merchants behind him. The Patriots consisted of people on the frontier, who did not like it that British officials sold guns to the indians. Many common people opposed the British. Smaller merchants and smaller land holders opposed the British. In other words, the people who had difficulty paying British taxes or faced Indian raids opposed the British.
In New England, when the King closed the port of Boston, and the British army burned the city of Charleston, the British lost the people of New England. The King created Patriots.
In Virginia, when the British burned the town of Norfolk Virginia, the King created Patriots out of the citizens of Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland.
When the King demanded that for anyone to buy or sell anything he had to wear a piece of paper in his hat band or hold it in his hand, the religious leaders had a field day. The religious leaders called it, "The Mark of the Beast," and the king, "The Antichrist." Those terms were taken from Revelation in The Bible. With that, the king turned a large group of Loyalists into Patriots. Even the non-religious did not want to fight for Satan.
As time went on, the British managed to turn Loyalists into Patriots.