Report Confirms Online Influence on 2008 Election
The Pew Internet & American Life Project on Sunday released a new report, "The internet and the 2008 election," summarizing how voters in the United States are using online technologies in this election cycle. According to the report, the main findings are:
- 40% of all Americans (internet users and non-users alike) have gotten news and information about this year’s campaign via the internet.
- 19% of Americans go online once a week or more to do something related to the campaign, and 6% go online to engage politically on a daily basis.
- 23% of Americans say they receive emails urging them to support a candidate or discuss the campaign once a week or more.
- 10% of Americans use email to contribute to the political debate with a similar frequency.
Other notable findings:
- 35% of Americans have watched online campaign-related videos.
- 8% have donated to a candidate online.
- 60% agree with the statement: "The internet is full of misinformation and propaganda that too many voters believe is accurate."
- 74% disagree with the statement: "I would not be as involved in this campaign as much if it weren’t for the internet."
Here is Pew's summary of the report.
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