Some 11% of internet users told us in a survey just after the election that they had signed up to receive email newsletters or other online alerts with the latest news about the election. This is the first time we asked this question, so we have no way to know how much growth there was in this aspect of e-politics. However, it is safe to say that more than 13 million folks wanted to be especially plugged into the campaign activities through things like ABC New’s The Note and other alerts.
The supporters of John Kerry were twice as likely as the supporters of President Bush to sign up for such alerts (16% vs. 8%). In addition, broadband users and internet veterans were much more plugged into this aspect of online life than were those with dial-up connections and relatively little internet experience.
When it came to the candidates themselves, 6% of internet users signed up for the candidate email alerts — 4% registered for Kerry emails and 2% registered for Bush emails.
