Internet Use and Political Engagement: The Role of E-Campaigning as a Pathway to Political Participation

Abstract

This paper uses original survey data from the 2010 UK General Election to examine two central questions about online and offline political participation: what dimensions of participation in the online campaign can be identified; and whether any mobilization effects of e-campaigning activity can be detected in terms of increasing individuals’ likelihood of participating after the election. Following our previous work, we confirm a measurement model of e-campaign activities and identify our three dimensions: e-information, e-party and e-expressive. We then show how these activities differentially predict subsequent non-electoral forms of participation. We distinguish between types of participation according to classic distinctions in the participation literature and to the medium in which these activities take place, i.e. online and offline. We use a panel study design that allows us to impose robust controls on pre-existing levels of political engagement.

Our results show that for the most part levels of pre-election engagement explain much of the post-election commitment to do so, and that online campaign involvement does not add significantly to this intention, regardless of the type of activity analysed. However we have found that use of the internet during the campaign to obtain information does appear to have a lasting effect on the likelihood of discussing politics online and on contacting a politician offline, even when prior propensity toward these forms of participation is controlled for. We have further observed a significant negative association between engagement in formal e-campaign activities (e-party) and a later proclivity to take part in a direct democracy initiative online (e-petition). Our findings are in line with a growing conclusion that the internet’s role in stimulating participation is likely to be more complex than a simple direct effect and support the claim for adopting a more nuanced approach to the analysis of the mobilization effects.