Public Opinion About the Internet and Information Technologies - Internet And Politics

In 2004 many politicians began using the Internet as a primary tool for communicating with the electorate. (See Chapter 7.) In addition, more and more voters used the Internet to look up information on politicians. According to "2004 Campaign Trail Winds through Cyberspace" by Darren Carlson (Gallup Organization, January 20, 2004), only 31% of Americans said they used the Internet to get news or information about the political candidates in 2000. By January 2004 this number increased to 49% of Americans. As Figure 10.9 reveals, the number of people who never looked for political information on the Internet decreased significantly, while the number of those who frequently looked for political information increased sharply.

Demographic differences existed, however, between those who sought political information online and those who did not. Thirty-four percent of men logged onto the Internet frequently to enhance their political knowledge, as opposed to only 22% of women in 2004. Generally, one-third of adults between the ages of eighteen and sixty-five looked for political information frequently on the Web, but at age sixty-five this behavior dropped dramatically. In fact, only 11% of Americans over sixty-five went to the Web frequently to delve into politics. Income and education also made a big difference. Nearly half of those with a graduate degree surfed the Internet frequently for political information, compared with 16% of those with a high school education or less. As to income, 45% of Americans making over $75,000 a year went online for political news and views, versus 23% of those making less than $30,000.