Mobile Technology in Politics More Potential Than Reality

This article is part of a weeklong series analyzing how mobile technology is affecting politics, business, and well-being.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Although most Americans now own mobile communication devices or otherwise have access to the Internet, no more than 23% have used them for a variety of political interactions. These results suggest that the potential use of mobile communication for connecting voters and potential voters to politics has yet to be fully realized.

These results are from an April 1-2 Gallup poll assessing how mobile technology has affected Americans' political and election involvement.

The poll finds that about seven in 10 Americans use either a smartphone or a tablet, and that overall 83% are connected to the Internet through a phone, tablet, or personal computer. The use of these new mobile communication devices, and more generally the use of the Internet, have dramatically affected most aspects of Americans' lives -- and politics, in theory, should be no exception. Political candidates, political parties, and those advising and running election campaigns have most certainly become aware that mobile devices represent a new frontier of political contact above and beyond the traditional use of media advertisements, phone calls, and direct mail.

Still, at this point, the majority of Americans have yet to be affected by the use of mobile technology for political purposes. Between 20% and 23% of those interviewed report receiving electronic communication from political interest groups, using social media to share political opinions posted by someone else, receiving electronic requests to contact elected representatives on behalf of a cause, or receiving direct electronic communications from elected officials or from political parties. Slightly fewer, 16%, say they post their own political opinions directly on social media. Less than 10% say they have received instant communication about an incipient or ongoing political rally or political protest or made a monetary donation using a smartphone or tablet.

Political Differences

The presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2012 was widely reported to have successfully taken advantage of new technology both in terms of "big data" collection of voter information, and in terms of repeated contact with voters using both traditional and new electronic modes of communication. That technological advantage continues to be evident to some degree today, more than two years later. Democrats nationwide are modestly more likely than Republicans to report receiving political messages from either political parties or political advocacy groups in the last 30 days. Also, Democrats are four times as likely as Republicans to say they have donated to a campaign using a smartphone or tablet -- although at 8% and 2%, respectively, these rates are still quite small. Republicans are slightly more likely to report sharing or "liking" posts or links that represent their opinions.

As would be expected, independents are less likely than either partisan group to report receiving political communication through their electronic devices.

None of the partisan differences seen here are especially large -- suggesting that Republicans could potentially close the "mobile communication" gap by 2016, although whether they can do so for the 2014 midterm cycle is unclear.

Younger Americans More Likely to Be Politically Connected via Social Media

Young Americans are more likely than those who are older to engage in the two political activities involving social media -- sharing or retweeting posts or links, and posting opinions on social media and other Internet sites. Otherwise, there is little difference by age in participation in the other political activities.

Republicans Slightly More Likely to Use Mobile Devices

Republicans are slightly more likely than Democrats to report using a smartphone or tablet on a daily basis. Still, despite this disparity in overall use, Democrats are as likely as Republicans to be heavy users of mobile devices (4+ hours per day). Apparently, the advantage Democrats may have in this regard among younger Americans, who are among the heaviest users of mobile technology, is somewhat offset by the greater use among those with higher incomes, who tend to be Republican. Overall, the data underscore the conclusion that there are not major partisan-based differences in the ability to reach voters and potential voters using mobile devices.

Bottom Line

This is a midterm election year, and political activity has picked up in a number of states with early primaries and high-profile Senate and gubernatorial elections. This activity is certainly not at the level of where it will be in the fall, or in particular of where it will be in 2016, a presidential election year. Therefore, the current measures of political activity using mobile devices as of early April -- with a little more than four in 10 having had one of eight possible types of political contact -- most likely represent a floor or minimum level. Given the high penetration of these devices in the American population in general, the potential is there for a significantly increased use later this year and in future elections. Democrats have a slight advantage in terms of ongoing contact with potential voters at this point, but both parties will no doubt be actively working to increase their advantage in the months and years ahead.

Read a related article at Gallup Business Journal.