As Mid-Term Elections Loom, a Record Number of Americans Look to the Net for Information and Guidance

On a typical day in August 2006, 26 million Americans turned to the internet for news or information about politics and the upcoming mid-term elections. That number translates into 19% of adult internet users, or 13% of all Americans over the age of 18.

This is a high-point in the number of internet users turning to cyberspace on the average day for political news or information, exceeding the 21-million figure registered in a Pew Internet Project survey during the November 2004 general election campaign.1

Comparing August 2006 figures with those from a similar point in the 2002 mid-term election cycle is particularly revealing. In July 2002, approximately 11 million Americans, or 13% of online users, said they got some news or information about politics and the campaign from the internet on the average day. The August 2006 number is nearly two-and-a-half times larger than the mid-summer 2002 figure. Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project.

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