New Study Finds Internet Makes People Feel Empowered Politically

Posted on December 8, 2005

A new study (PDF file) done by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School Center For the Digital Future concludes that people feel increasingly politically empowered by the Internet:

Internet users say that going online creates political clout. The comprehensive study of the impact of online technology conducted by the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future found that for the first time, the number of users who say that the Internet can be used to gain political power has increased.
In 2005, 39.8 percent of Internet users agree that going online can give people more political power -- up from 27.3 percent in the previous study. And, 61.7 percent of respondents - - Internet users and non-users alike -- now agree that going online has become important to political campaigns.
"We are now seeing tangible evidence of the increasing role of the Internet in political decision-making," said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the USC Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future. "The Internet�s growing role in political decision-making cannot be underestimated.
"More than three-quarters of users who went online for political campaign information sought insight regarding issues and candidates about which they were undecided," Cole said. "Clearly, the Internet�s role in the American political process will continue to grow, and it could have a significant impact during the Congressional elections of 2006."
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"Notably, the largest percentage of these users sought campaign information on traditional media Web sites," said Cole. "A much smaller group used information placed online by the candidates." (39.5 percent to traditional media sites; 27.1 percent to candidates' sites) Of users who went online to seek campaign information, 91.1 percent sought information about issues or candidates they supported; 77.4 percent also sought information about issues and candidates about which they were undecided.

Even though it's a slow-loading pdf file, this one is worth a read. The study found the 60.4% of users agree that by using the Internet, people can gain a greater understanding of politics. It's clear that the Internet is going to have an even greater impact in future elections. Politicians who are considering running in 2006 or 2008 would do well to read this study. Because very few politicians actually have a thorough grasp of how to run a grassroots web campaign, even though many think that they do.

[Via Daily Kos]