More than a quarter of all Americans use their cellphones to engage in politics, according to a new survey by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
The survey, conducted last month, revealed that 71% of American cellphone owners (A group that Pew estimates accounts for 82% of all adult Americans) say they voted in the 2010 election, compared with 64% of all Americans; interestingly, 71% of all cell users also use their phone for texting. 14% of all adults used their phones to tell others that they had voted, but curiously, only 12% used their phones to keep up with political news with an even smaller number (4%) using their phones to monitor election results.
Phone usage isn’t partisan, either; the Pew survey noted that both Democratic and Republican supporters made up 44% of the respondents, with 2% independent and 10% either refusing to answer the question or listed as undecided. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, cell users aged 18-29 were found to be more likely to use their phones to share political information.
The takeaway for political operatives from this survey? Don’t rely on smartphones for 2012.
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