2012-10-24-皮尤-Presidential_Campaign_Donations_in_the_Digital_Age_3页_417kb

Summary of 2012 Presidential Campaign Donations

• Introduction: In the 2012 presidential campaign, text message and cell phone donations became possible for the first time under FEC rules, yet they remained a small part of overall contributions.

• Overall Participation: Approximately 13% of American adults made donations to presidential candidates, with a total of 346 contributors in the survey sample.

• Contribution Methods: Among donors, offline methods like in-person, phone-based, or mail contributions were the most common at 67%. Online or email donations accounted for 50%, while text message or cell phone app donations made up only 10%, equivalent to roughly 1% of all adults who donated.

• Party Differences: Democrats and Republicans had similar overall donation rates (16% each), but Democrats favored online and direct cell phone contributions, with 57% using online methods and 15% texting or using apps, while Republicans predominantly used offline channels (87% in person, phone, or mail).

• Comparison: Cell phone donations for political purposes were less common than charitable donations via text, and traditional offline methods dominated.

• Methodology: Based on surveys conducted in September 2012 with a total sample of 2,010 adults, the margin of sampling error varied.