Who Participates and Why?: An Analysis of Citizens on the Internet and the Mass Public

Scholars continue to find that political participation, especially beyond voting, is in limited supply in the United States. However, the rise of the Internet provides possibilities to mitigate such circumstances. Some scholars suggest that the Internet disconnects citizens from public life, while o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social science computer review 2003-04, Vol.21 (1), p.26-42
Main Authors: Weber, Lori M., Loumakis, Alysha, Bergman, James
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizen Participation
Citizens
Citizenship
Internet
Political Participation
Politics
Public interest
Social aspects
United States of America
USA
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Summary:Scholars continue to find that political participation, especially beyond voting, is in limited supply in the United States. However, the rise of the Internet provides possibilities to mitigate such circumstances. Some scholars suggest that the Internet disconnects citizens from public life, while other studies note that it provides a venue for further participation in public life. The question remains as to whether the Internet mobilizes or demobilizes citizens. The article explores this question using Survey2000, a comprehensive, Internet-based, social scientific survey conducted in 1998 by scholars at Northwestern University in conjunction with the National Geographic Society. A positive relationship is found between engagement on the Internet and civic and political participation. However, the article also finds that the Internet appears to exacerbate the socioeconomic bias already exhibited by civic and political participation prior to the rise of the Internet.
ISSN:0894-4393
1552-8286
DOI:10.1177/0894439302238969