Report: 55% of Americans Used Web for Election News

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 16, 2009 - 8:54am.

Washington - Over half of the U.S. adult population (55%) went online in 2008 to either get news about the election, or to get involved in the political process via the Internet -- the first time that number has been a majority of Americans -- according to a new survey from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Some 26% of Americans counted the Internet as a major source for election news last year, up from 11% in 2000.

Additionally, nearly one in five (18%) of Internet users posted their thoughts, comments or questions about the campaign in an online forum, and 45% of Internet users watched a campaign-related Web video.

Pew noted that among the entire population, the Internet is now equal to newspapers and roughly twice as important as radio as a source of election news and information.

Nearly half of political news consumers visited five or more distinct types of online news sites last year, with voters moving away from sites with no point of view towards those that match their own political viewpoints.

While more McCain voters were going online than Obama voters, which Pew attributed to demographic differences between the two parties, Obama voters were more likely to share Web political content with others; set up political news alerts; donate money to a candidate online; and sign up online for volunteer activities.

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