Page 233 - Information and American Democracy Technology in the Evolution of Political Power

P1: IBE/IRP/IQR/IRR
CY101-Bimber
August 13, 2002
0 521 80067 6
CY101-05
Political Individuals 12:12
Table 5.3. Extent of Political Use of the Internet, as a Fraction of Those
with Access (%)

October February April February
1996 1998 1999 2001
To find out what government 26 28 30 41
or an official is doing
To contact a public official 10 9 9 14
or candidate for office
To express views about 12 12 13 20
politics or government
To learn about political issues 30 29 32 37
To browse for political 32 31 33 34
information with no
specific purpose
Total for any action as fraction 47 43 52 56
of adults with access

Notes: Figures show fraction of adults with access to the Internet who report
having used the Internet at least once in the last year for each activity. For 1996,
N = 259; for 1998, N = 471; for 1999, N = 550; for 2001, N = 508. Note that
1996 and 2001 figures capture the effects of presidential elections. Source is
author’s surveys.

people are more likely than older to have access, but among those with
access, younger people are just slightly less likely than older ones to use
the Internet every day.
The data confirm the obvious impression that rates of expansion
in Internet access and use have been rapid, but they also show that
rates vary by category. Among the fastest rates of growth is daily use
of the Internet, while the slowest are some categories of political use. As
Table 5.3 shows, in 1996 about 10 percent of people with access to the
Internet reported they had contacted a public official or candidate over
the prior year using the Internet; in 2001 this figurehadgrownonlyto
14 percent. For comparison, about 25 percent of adults typically con-
tact government annually using traditional means. 43 The number who
report having used the Internet to learn what government or a public
official was doing grew from 26 percent to 41 percent in the same period.
Overall, people using the Internet for any political purpose grew from

43
Verba, Schlozman, and Brady, Voice and Equality.
216