CorpComms Magazine

Civic engagement in America is still largely the domain of the middle classes despite hopes that Barack Obama's election campaign, that capitalised on social media sites and new ways to communicate with the electorate, would democratise political involvement.

The Pew Internet Project found that 35 per cent of US adults earning more than $100,000 (£62,000) participate in two or more online political activities, such as signing petitions or making donations, against just eight per cent of adults on incomes of less than $20,000.

But there has been a marked increase in young people, aged between 18 and 24 years, using social networking sites to post material about political or social issues.

The study found that 33 per cent of young people make political use of social networking sites, while 34 per cent post political material on the web.

However, this age group is also the least like to email a public official or make a political donation online.

Just four per cent of those aged between 45 and 54 years are likely to make political use of social networking sites, while nine per cent would post political material on the web. Similar figures apply to those aged between 55 and 64 years, although they are marginally higher in the 35 to 44 years age bracket.

The report also found that there is little difference in socio economic status between those that post political content online, either defined by income or education.

However, the study does conclude that, among those aged under 30 years, students are much more likely to make political use of a social networking site or post political material online. Almost four out of ten students aged under 30 are politically active online, against just 15 per cent of non-students.

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