The 2008 Vote: Why MySpace Matters

THE 2008 VOTE: WHY MYSPACE MATTERS
[SOURCE: BusinessWeek, AUTHOR: Paula Lehman]
The MySpace generation is politically engaged, gets a lot of political information online, and is concerned about the war on terror. Users of the popular Web site for socialization will be out in force in the 2008 Presidential elections. Those are among the findings in a survey of users of News Corp.'s MySpace, the world's largest social network. So what is important to MySpace users? For starters, they're concerned about the war on terror and the economy, in that order. Among respondents, 36% of Democrats, 38% of Republicans, and 30% of Independents said the war is the most important issue; 29% of Democrats and 28% of Republicans listed the economy as top of mind. Democrats are more concerned about the environment, while more Republicans name immigration as important. MySpace users are highly likely to get informed on politics via the Web. Compared with the general population of online adults, MySpace users are 139% more likely to visit an online chat room with public officials or political candidates and 50% more likely to watch a political or public affairs-related video online. They're also 29% more likely to have looked up political or campaign information on the Internet. Among respondents, 86% say they are "extremely likely" or "likely" to vote in the 2008 Presidential election. The findings validate efforts by candidates to use social networks to rally supporters.
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2007/tc20071213_093878...

-- See also --
* Obama Wants to Be Your Friend (6.17.07)
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2007/tc20070615_431902...