Overview
55% of registered voters have watched political videos online this election season. We asked about six different types of political videos and found that, among registered voters who use the internet:
- 48% watch video news reports about the election or politics
- 40% watch previously recorded videos of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates
- 39% watch informational videos online that explain a political issue
- 37% watch humorous or parody videos dealing with political issues
- 36% watch political advertisements online
- 28% watch live videos of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates
We also find that political videos are highly social. Some 52% of registered voters say that other people have recommended political videos for them to watch this election season, with social networking sites playing a prominent role in this process. In addition, 19% of registered voters have recommended online political videos for other people to watch.
About the Survey
These findings are based on a nationally representative phone survey of 1,006 adults (ages 18+) conducted October 12-14, 2012. Interviews were conducted in English on landline and cell phones. The sample contained 844 internet users, 721 of whom are registered voters, who were asked questions about their online video watching habits during the 2012 election campaign. The margin of error for the full sample is ± 3.7 percentage points. The margin of error for internet users who are registered to vote is ±4.4 percentage points.