Who were the loyalists? what elements in america remained loyal to the king, and for what reasons?

The Loyalists were the people who remained loyal to the British Crown rather than were in favour of independence.

The Loyalist were on the average older and partially also richer: they were better established and therefore a change would be a risk for them. This was their reason: they were afraid of change and of loosing their position.

The Loyalists are those American people who strongly opposed the Revolution. They are being called as "Tories" by their enemies. The Loyalists believed in the John Locke's theory of natural rights and limited government. They only wanted to pursue a peaceful form of protest because  of their belief that violence is not the answer to the complaints thus, it will only give way to tyranny that would even cause greater protests from the people. Some loyalists remain loyal to the King because they believed of what the King has to offer and they believe they have the same goals and visions as of the King's.