[1st-mile-nm] Pew Report on Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

[Richard Lowenberg]

Civic Engagement in the Digital Age

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_CivicEngagementintheDigitalAge.pdf

APRIL 25, 2013

The well-educated and the well-off are more likely than others to 
participate in civic life online–
just as those groups have always been more likely to be active in 
politics and community affairs offline.  Political activity in social 
networking spaces shows a somewhat more moderate version of that trend.

Summary of Findings

This study examines online and offline political engagement and pays 
special attention to the role of social networking sites in people’s 
political activities.  There are several major findings:
 Class differences, especially those related to educational 
attainment, are prominent in political
engagement of all kinds, whether that activity takes place offline, 
online, or within the specific
context of social networking sites (SNS), though the trend is somewhat 
more moderate in SNS.
 There has been major growth in political activity on SNS between 2008 
and this survey in 2012.  The number of social networking site users has 
grown from 33% of the online population in 2008 to 69% of the online 
population in 2012. And there have been major jumps in the
proportion of SNS users who post political news, who friend or follow 
candidates, and who joined an SNS group organized around political or 
social issues.  In addition, notable shares of
SNS users say their activity on the sites has prompted them to learn 
more about social or political
issues and to take action around those issues.
 For most politically active SNS users, social networking sites are 
not a separate realm of political activity.  They are frequently active 
in other aspects of civic life.
 Even as online platforms have grown more prominent in political 
affairs, Americans’ day-to-day political conversations mostly occur 
offline.




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Richard Lowenberg, Executive Dir.
1st-Mile Institute, 505-603-5200
Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
www.1st-mile.com  rl at 1st-mile.com
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