2012 Social Election Survey Report Presentation Slides

The 2012 SocialElection SurveyExploring the Role of Social Media in InfluencingPerceptions and Voter Behavior in the 2012Presidential ElectionJanuary 2013 #socialelection

Objectives of the 2012 Social Election Survey To understand: – How the public was using social media to learn about and engage in discussions about the election – The perceived credibility of social media relative to other sources of information – The influence of social media in shaping perceptions about the candidates and issues – How effectively the candidates used social media to engage the electorate – Demographic differences in perception and behavior 2

Demographics #socialelection

Demographics Gender & Age AGE SAMPLE SIZE n=806 18 - 25 years 8% Fielding: 10/29/12 - 11/13/12 17% Margin of Error: ±3.45 26 - 35 years 36 - 45 years 15% GENDER 46 - 55 years 24% Female 23% 55% 56 - 65 yearsMale Over 65 years 13%45% 4

Demographics Education & Income HIGHEST EDUCATION COMPLETED HOUSEHOLD INCOME Some high school 2% Less than $25,000 17%High School Diploma 15% 23% $25,000 to $50,000 Some college 22% 20% $50,000 to $75,000 Associate Degree 10% 13% $75,000 to $100,000 Bachelors Degree 25% $100,000 to $125,000 9% Masters Degree 20% $125,000 to $150,000 7% Doctorate 5% 12% More than $150,000 Other 1% 5

DemographicsEmployment Status EMPLOYMENT STATUS Employed full 54% time Employed part 9% time Unemployed 12% Student 4% Retired 16% Other 5% 6

Demographics Political Orientation & Candidate Supported POLITICAL LEANING CANDIDATE SUPPORTED 49% Obama More liberal than 48% conservative 36% Romney 12%More conservative 52% Neither than liberal 3% Other POLITICAL AFFILIATION Democratic Party 41% Republican Party 29% Independent 23% Libertarian 1% Green Party 0% Other 5% 7

Election Interest and Vote Influencers #socialelection

Interest in the ElectionOverall, Gender & Age Overall 37% 32% 20% 8% 3% 45% 32% 14% 6% 2% GENDER Male Female 30% 31% 25% 10% 5% 18-25 31% 27% 25% 9% 7% 26-35 27% 36% 24% 10%3% AGE 36-45 31% 33% 19% 9% 8% 46-55 36% 30% 21% 11%2% 56-65 42% 32% 19% 6% 1% Over 65 55% 25% 16% 2% 2% Extremely Very Moderately Slightly Not At All How closely are you following the 2012 presidential election? 9

Top 3 Issues Determining Presidential Vote Top 3 Total 52% 26% 16% 94% The economy and jobs 29% 32% 22% 83% Health care 15% 30% 29% 74% The federal deficit 22% 19% 26% 67% Education National security and defense 9% 23% 31% 63%Social Issues, incl. abortion and gay marriage 16% 21% 21% 58% Energy 4% 15% 23% 42% The environment/climate change 9% 10% 15% 34% Immigration 7% 9% 18% 34% Other 9% 5% 9% 23% Rank 1 Rank 2 Rank 3 Please rank the top three issues determining your vote for president. 10

Ranking Top 3 IssuesGender & Political Leaning PERCENTAGE WHO RANKED EACH ISSUE IN THEIR TOP 3 VOTE DETERMINANTS GENDER POLITICAL LEANING OVERALL Male Female Liberal ConservativeThe economy and jobs 94% 95% 93% 92% 95%Health care 83% 78% 87% 87% 78%The federal deficit 74% 79% 66% 56% 82%Education 67% 61% 73% 77% 54%National security and defense 63% 65% 60% 53% 69%Social Issues, such as abortion 58% 43% 67% 67% 46%and gay marriageEnergy 42% 50% 34% 38% 46%Immigration 34% 37% 32% 30% 40%The environment/climate 34% 31% 38% 49% 11%change Assume you are going to vote in the November election. Please rank the top three issues 11 determining your vote for president.

Participation in the 2012 Election #socialelection

Political Engagement and Participation Overall ACTIVITIES ON BEHALF OF A CANDIDATE OR PARTY Donated money 25% Connected through social media 23% Subscribed to online news 13% Participated in rallies or meetings 10% Volunteered time 10%Participated in fundraising activities 6% Other 3% Led or organized group events 1% None of the above 54% In the past 12 months, which of the following activities, if any, have you engaged in on behalf of a candidate or political party: 13

Method Used to Make Political DonationsOverall 77% Online/website 52% Mail 36% In-person 19% Facebook Mobile phone/text 18% message 8% Other Which of the following tools did you use to make a donation to a candidate, political party, or political action committee in the past 12 months? 14

Learning About and Discussing theElection #socialelection

Discussing Politics with Family & FriendsOverall, Gender & Candidate Supported HOW OFTEN YOU DISCUSS POLITICS & CURRENT EVENTS Overall 46% 37% 13% 4% Male 51% 33% 14% 3% GENDER Female 41% 40% 14% 4% 45% 41% 11%3% SUPPORT Barack Obama Mitt Romney 57% 32% 10%1% Very often Sometimes Rarely Never How often, if ever, do you talk about politics or current events with your family and friends? 16

Sources of Information – Top TierOverall Mean The candidates and their campaigns 50% 3.4 Cable television news, including CNN, 47% 3.2 FOX News, and MSNBC Broadcast news channels, including 42% 3.1 ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX Friends and family 41% 3.2 Academic or issue experts 37% 2.9Online national publications including 36% 3.0 newspapers and magazines Internet searches 36% 3.0Public television, including C-SPAN and 36% 2.9 PBS How valuable are each of the following as ways for you to learn about policy issues? 17

Sources of Information – Bottom Tier Overall Mean Print national publications 34% 2.9 The political parties 33% 2.9 Online local publications 29% 2.8 Print local publications 27% 2.7 Survey and poll results 20% 2.5 Social media 20% 2.3Interest-groups & advocacy organizations 19% 2.5 Inside-the-beltway publications 19% 2.3 Blogs 18% 2.2 Lobbyists 8% 1.9 Other 15% 2.1 How valuable are each of the following as ways for you to learn about policy issues? 18

General Use of Social Media #socialelection

Social Networks Currently UsedOverall Size of the Social Media Universe 2011-2012 Top Social Networks by Unique PC Visitors Year on Year (Audience, ‘000’s) Change Facebook 152,226 -4% Blogger 58,518 -3% Twitter 37,033 +13% WordPress 30,945 +10% LinkedIn 28,113 0% Pinterest 27,223 +1,047% Google+ 26,201 +80%* Tumblr 25,634 +55% Myspace 19,680 -13% Wikia 12,594 +20% Source: Nielsen Social Media Report 2012 *Google+ is July 2012 v. Sept 2012, the first month the site became public 20

Social Networks Currently UsedOverall & Gender 81%74% 69% 32%33% 25% 30% 24% 24% 24%24% 24% 23% 21% 15% 18% 13% 3%4%3% 7% 3%4%3%Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google+ Foursquare Pinterest Other I do not use social networks Overall Male Female Which of the following social networks do you currently use? 21

Connecting to Social NetworksTrends in Multi-Platform Connectivity. Trends in How We Connect to Social Media 94% 97% 2011-2012 46% 37% 2011 2012 16% 7% 7% 4% 3% 3% 4% 2% 3% 2% Computer Mobile Handheld Game Tablet Internet E-Reader Phone Music Player Console Enabled Television Source: Nielsen Social Media Report 2012 22

Comparing the Quality andCredibility of Traditional and SocialMedia #socialelection

Comparing the Quality of Social and TraditionalMediaOverall & Age Overall 24% 39% 31% 6% 18-25 31% 40% 25% 4% 26-35 28% 37% 30% 5% AGE 36-45 32% 36% 25% 7% 46-55 24% 45% 24% 8% 56-55 16% 43% 36% 6% Over 65 18% 39% 39% 4% Higher Quality About the Same Lower Quality Dont know How do you compare the quality of information you find on social media to traditional news channels? (Traditional news channels are defined as Broadcast and 24 Cable TV, radio, newspapers and magazines)

Using Social Media to Follow theElection #socialelection

Use of Social Networks for Political ActivitiesOverall PERCENTAGE RATING SOCIAL NETWORKS AS SOMEWHAT OR VERY IMPORTANT FOR: 43% Keeping up with political news Debating or discussing political issues with 39% others Finding other people who share your views 38% about important political issues Recruiting people to get involved with 31% political issues that matter to you Overall, how important are social networking sites to you personally when it comes to each of the following? 26

Use of Social Networks for Political ActivitiesAge 52% 58% Keeping up with political news 54% 39% 32% 39% 46% 55%Debating or discussing political 45% issues with others 32% 30% 36% 44%Finding other people who share 54% your views about important 46% 33% 18-25 political issues 29% 35% 26-35 42% 36-45 Recruiting people to get 45% 46-55 involved with political issues 37% 24% 56-65 that matter to you 25% 25% Over 65 Overall, how important are social networking sites to you personally when it comes to each of the following? 27

Social Media Engagement in the Presidential Election Overall Watched an online video about a candidate or issue 41%Responded to a post about a candidate or issue (including 35% by a comment, retweet or +1) Liked a candidate or political group on Facebook 34%Created a post, tweet or status update about a candidate 25% or issue Encouraged others to vote 20% Indicated you voted 19% Followed a candidate or political group on Twitter 11% Pinned something about a candidate on Pinterest 4% Checked in a location such as a rally or event for a candidate on Foursquare 4% Added a candidate or political group to you circles on Google+ 3% In which of the following social media activities have you engaged in related to the candidates or issues in the presidential election? 28

Sharing Political Views on SocialMedia #socialelection

Display Political Affiliation on Social MediaOverall & Age OVERALL AGE No 45% 72% 60% 70% Yes 77% 84% 82% No 28% Yes 55% 40% 30% 23% 16% 18% 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 Over 65 Some social media sites allow you to indicate your political affiliation? Do you display your political affiliation on any of your social network profiles? 30

Other Political Views in Social NetworkOverall & Age POLITICAL VIEWS OF OTHERS IN YOUR SOCIAL NETWORKS 54% 25% 13% 8% Most share my Theres an even Most do not Dont know political views mix who do and share my political do not share my views political views How would you describe the political views of the people in your social networks? 31

Using Social Media to Engage in Political DiscussionsOverall & Age OVERALL AGE No 48% 49% 54%Yes 68% 63% 63% 59%41% No Yes 52% 51% 46% 32% 37% 37% 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 Over 65 In the past 6 months, have you engaged in a political conversation online with other people in your social networks? 32

Form of Political Discussions on Social MediaOverall & Gender 72% 65% 59% 52% 52% 49% 25% 19% 13% 10% 6% 4% 6% 6% 6% One-on-one Group video Private Public messages Othervideo chats (ex. chats (ex. on messages such that anyone canon Facebook or Google as Facebook see, such as Google+) Hangouts) messages, tweets and wall Twitter direct posts on messages or Facebook Google chats Overall Male Female [For those who engaged in political discussions] What form did those political conversations take? 33

Blocking Connections Because of Their ViewsOverall & Political Leaning OVERALL POLITICAL LEANING No 81% Yes 78% 85% No 19% Yes 22% 15% Liberal Conservative In the past 12 months, have you defriended, blocked or hidden a connection because of their political views? 34

The Influence of Social Media #socialelection

Extent Social Networks Increased Knowledge ofCandidatesOverall, Gender & Age Social Media Increased Knowledge of Candidates and Issues Total 19% 32% 42% 7% GENDER Male 22% 26% 46% 6% Female 17% 37% 38% 7% 18-25 32% 37% 25% 6% 26-35 29% 43% 26% 1% AGE 36-45 30% 33% 31% 6% 46-55 10% 31% 52% 7% 56-65 12% 34% 49% 6% Over 65 19% 16% 53% 12% Significantly/Moderately Somewhat/Slightly No effect Dont know To what extent has the information posted in your online social networks increased your knowledge of the candidates positions on issues or character? 36

Extent Social Networks Increased Knowledge ofCandidatesCandidate Supported & Political Leaning Social Media Increased Knowledge of Candidates and Issues SUPPORTED CANDIDATE Barack Obama 21% 34% 38% 7% Mitt Romney 21% 29% 46% 4% 19% 37% 38% 6% POLITICAL LEANING Liberal Conservative 20% 28% 45% 7% Significantly/Moderately Somewhat/Slightly No effect Dont know To what extent has the information posted in your online social networks increased your knowledge of the candidates positions on issues or character? 37

Influence of Social Media on Shaping OpinionsOverall, Gender & Age Social Media’s Influence on Shaping Total Perceptions of Candidates and Issues Influential Overall 3% 8% 18% 29% 18 - 25 7% 13% 24% 45% 26 - 35 6% 17% 26% 49% 5% 15% 22% 42% AGE 36 - 45 46 - 55 1%6% 12% 19% 56 - 65 2% 3% 13% 19% Over 65 2% 5% 16% 23% Extremely influential Very influential Moderately influential Compared to other sources, how influential has the information on social media been in shaping your opinion of the candidates and issues in the presidential election? 38

Social Media’s Influence on Candidate SupportOverall & Age Social Media’s Impact on Support of Your Preferred Candidate Overall 30% 67% 3% 18-25 43% 51% 6% 26-35 45% 53% 1% 36-45 38% 60% 3% AGE 46-55 22% 73% 5% 56-65 21% 77% 3% Over 65 26% 71% 3% Increased Support Significantly/Slightly No Change Decreased Support Significantly/Slightly Thinking specifically about your preferred candidate in this election, how has the information posted in your online social networks shaped your perceptions of him? Has it: 39

Which Candidate Was More Visible on Social MediaAge Overall Barack Mitt Obama Romney 26% 15% Both, about Dont equally know 38% 21% Which of the two main presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, have you seen more information about in your social networks? 40

Portrayals of the Candidates on Social Media Overall & Political Leaning PERCEIVED CANDIDATE PORTRAYAL OBAMA Overall 43% 13% 28% 16% ROMNEY Overall 31% 15% 37% 17% OBAMA Liberal 55% 10% 20% 15%POLITICAL LEANING ROMNEY Liberal 24% 16% 43% 17% OBAMA Conservative 34% 16% 36% 15% ROMNEY Conservative 38% 15% 33% 14% Positive Neutral Negative Dont know How would you describe the information you’ve seen about each candidate on social media? Has it been: 41

Grading the Candidates Use of SocialMedia #socialelection

The Candidates Are Using Social Media EffectivelyOverall, Political Leaning & Candidate Supported Overall 37% 44% 19% POLITICAL LEANING Liberal 43% 41% 16% Conservative 33% 46% 21% SUPPORTED CANDIDATE Barack Obama 45% 41% 14% Mitt Romney 33% 44% 23% Agree Neither Agree nor Disagree Disagree To what extent do you agree with this statement: "The presidential candidates are using social media effectively to communicate with people like me.” 43

Tone of the Presidential Election #socialelection

Overall Tone of the Presidential ElectionOverall, Gender & Candidate Supported Overall 5% 34% 36% 25% GENDER Male 6% 28% 35% 31% Female 5% 38% 37% 20%SUPPORTED CANDIDTE Barack Obama 7% 38% 35% 20% Mitt Romney 3% 27% 36% 33% Very civil Somewhat civil Somewhat uncivil Very uncivil Overall, how would you describe the tone of the presidential election? This includes TV ads, speeches by the candidates, the political commentary and the debates. Would you 45 say it is:

The Tone of the Election on Social MediaOverall Comparing the Tone on Social Media to the Overall Tone More civil, 14% About the same, 30% Dont know, 25% Less Civil, 31% Compared to the overall tone of the political discussion, would you say the tone of political discussion on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ is: 46

Bias in Social Media #socialelection

Comparing Bias in Social Media to TraditionalMediaOverall & Age Overall 13% 23% 52% 11% 1% 24% 32% 36% 2% 18-25 7% 26-35 12% 23% 49% 15% 1% 36-45 11% 23% 54% 12% 1% AGE 46-55 12% 24% 51% 12% 1% 56-55 10% 23% 55% 10% 1% Over 65 10% 17% 64% 8% A lot more biased More biased About the same Less biased A lot less biased Is the information you see on social media more or less biased than the traditional media? The information on social media is: 48

Conclusions & Implications #socialelection

Conclusions & Implications It may not be the first place people turn to learn about candidates or issues, but social media is critical forum to share and shape opinions. Social media has closed the credibility gap as a news and information source, driving the imperative to monitor discussion of your brand. The accelerating rise of second- and third-tier networks creates new opportunities for customized content and engagement strategies across different platforms. Build your social networks before you need to use them, for the strength of your connections will determine the amplification of your message. Organizing on social media, younger voters are turning into a powerful voting block on social issues. 50

Conclusions & Implications Political orientation is no longer a private affair but social media bumper stickers can never be removed. Your political statements can cost you some of your social media relationships. On social media, great visuals can be worth far more than a thousand words. Social analytics will become as important as polling in political science and advocacy. Are you using social media to gain insight into what energizes your audience, and tailoring your messages accordingly? 51

ConclusionA record breaking end to the first social election Election Day was the most retweeted event in history: – 31 million tweets – 327,425 tweets/minute This is the most retweeted post of all time: This is most liked popular photo on Facebook of all time: – 4.4 million likes – 215,000 comments – 580,299 shares 52

QUESTIONS?For additional information go to:www.ORIresults.com/socialelectionsurvey #socialelection

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2012 Social Election Survey Report Presentation Slides

by ORI on Jan 17, 2013

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