The Democratic Divide in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

ABSTRACT

By analyzing Pew Internet and American Life Project's postelection survey, this article examines whether there continues to exist a democratic digital divide in the 2008 U.S. presidential election season. The research focuses on the divide patterns of four different types of political Internet use: information-seeking, communication, mobilization, and use of social networking sites. The research results suggest a higher likelihood for the socioeconomically advantaged to do online political activities. A generational gap is less apparent with regard to communication than information-seeking and mobilization. The sociodemographic pattern of the democratic divide overall resembles that of Internet access divide, but the political divide manifested by education and income is being bridged to some extent among current users of social networking sites. Although younger generations were more likely to use social networking sites for political activities, such use did not significantly raise the probability to cast a ballot in the 2008 presidential election.

Keywords:

• Democratic divide
• digital divide
• e-democracy
• online political participation

Notes

Data and interview questions for data analysis replication can be sourced from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, available at www.PewInternet.org/Shared-Content/Data-Sets/2008/November-2008--Post-Election.aspx.