2000-12-02-皮尤-Internet_Election_News_Audience_Seeks_Convenience,_Familiar_Names_24页_90kb

2000 Election Online News Summary

• Increased Audience & Convenience: Online election news consumption grew significantly, from 4% in 1996 to 18% in 2000. The primary driver cited by a majority of online users was convenience, not unique information. Daily usage for news peaked around Election Day.

• Major Sources: Major news organizations (CNN, New York Times, etc.) and commercial online services (like AOL) dominated online election news sources. CNN.com was the most frequently named specific source and overall top destination.

• Demographics:

  • Younger people (18-29) were twice as likely as older individuals (over 50) to get election news online.
  • Education and income also correlated with increased usage.
  • Men were more likely than women to use the internet for election news.
  • Republicans showed slightly higher online campaign news consumption.

• Information Consumption: Most users (69%) sought information on candidate policies, fewer sought voting records or times to vote from sites, or participated actively like polling or contributing funds.

• Impact on Voting: Online election news strongly influenced voting decisions for online news users, particularly young voters and long-time internet users. It did not, however, translate into greater overall political participation.

  • 43% of online users getting election news said it affected their vote choice in 2000, up from 31% in 1996.

• Candidates & Activism: Visits to candidate websites were lower than expected. Other online political activities (discussions, polls) were less popular for election news users compared to campaign-related activism.

• TV Dominance: Despite rising online news, television remained the primary source for election news overall.

• Digital Divide: Usage gaps existed between the general public online and internet non-users for accessibility of online election news.

• Sources Comparison: Pew Internet & American Life Project collaborated on the research.