UK election: Most Brits want online vote
- Added:
- Mar 12, 2010
More than three quarters of electors – 77 per cent - would vote on the Internet if they could, according to a new survey released today.
The poll also found 56 per cent had visited political websites – signalling a substantial interest in online politics among voters.
The survey of 1,000 people by social media consultants LEWIS Communications was conducted to gauge public attitudes to the use of social media and digital technology by political parties.
Other key findings were:
- Nearly a quarter – 24 per cent – thought Twitter was an essential communication tool in a democracy.
- Twenty seven per cent would be encouraged to vote for an MP if contacted by one on social networking sites against 48 who would not.
- Thirty per cent claimed they would go online if they wanted to donate cash to a political party against 12 per cent using the phone.
- One in six thought Moe Szyslak, the grumpy barman from The Simpsons, was a political blogger.
- Just over a quarter - 27 per cent - successfully identified Guido Fawkes.
- Thirteen per cent admitted having an MP as a friend on Facebook.
- Six per cent thought a Tweet was a nickname for a fool.
Commenting on the results, Eb Adeyeri, Digital PR Director at LEWIS Communications, said: “Many commentators believe this will be the UK’s first “Internet election” with politicians exploiting channels such as Facebook and Twitter to convey their message.
“Online campaigns are measurable, are a great way to engage people in real-time and are clearly going to feature prominently in this election. With more than half visiting political websites and three quarters expressing an interest in voting online, it is imperative that parties recognise and build on this interest.
“However, there are rules that the parties need to follow if they are to successfully engage with the electorate using social media. A badly-focused social media campaign could do more harm than good as Gordon Brown discovered with his infamous YouTube appearance.”
The poll also found that 15 per cent thought David Cameron had the most followers on Twitter, even though the Tory leader famously criticised the micro-blogging site by claiming on a radio show that “too many twits make a tw*t.” And four per cent believed former Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee had the greatest number of Twitter fans, even though he died in 1967.
Nearly half – 46 per cent – identified Kerry McCarthy as the Labour Party Twitter Tsar but 19 per cent thought she was a TV presenter and 18 per cent an Irish pop singer. Although 79 per cent knew what a Tweet was, seven per cent thought it was a small African rodent.
Adeyeri concluded: “Parties need to work harder and tailor their campaigns carefully to make sure they reach the right audience in the right way. Social media is a good means of doing this but it is at its most effective when integrated properly with traditional channels such as TV, radio and newspapers.”
1,000 people were questioned between February 1 and March 9, 2010.
Source http://www.lewispr.com/
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