13 Percent Use Web to Stay Politically Informed
Thirteen percent in an ABCNEWS.com poll say they've used the
Internet specifically to get information about the presidential campaign,
about the same as it was in February. (ABCNEWS.com)

Analysis By Aaron, Frechette, ABCNEWS.com

Sept. 27, 2000 About one in eight Americans uses the Internet to keep up with the presidential election, a number thats held steady all season.

Thirteen percent in an ABCNEWS.com poll say theyve used the Internet specifically to get information about the presidential campaign, about the same as it was in February. For comparison, about half of Americans have Internet access, a third use it for news reports on any subject and just over a quarter have bought something online.

While not a large percentage, 13 percent of the nations adult population does represent a significant number of people around 25 million individuals.

Groups

While Internet access is somewhat higher among 18- to 34-year-olds, use of the Internet for presidential campaign information is not probably because younger adults tend to be less interested in politics.

There are sharper differences among income and education groups, probably reflecting both a lack of Internet access and less interest in politics among lower-income and less educated Americans.

Among people in top-income households, 23 percent use the Internet for campaign information; its the same for college graduates. But among those in the lowest-income households, and those who havent gone beyond high school, this falls to 7 percent.

Methodology

This ABCNEWS.com survey was conducted by telephone Sept. 20-24, among a random national sample of 1,004 adults. The results have a three-point error margin. Field work was conducted by ICR-International Communications Research of Media, Pa.