The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press released more results in their ongoing survey of the internet, Millennials and the 2008 election on Friday: Internet's Broader Role in Campaign 2008.  Some of the interesting findings from this poll include the fact that TV/Newspapers continue to lose ground as a source of political news among Millenials: 

And when asked what sites online they use for information on the campaigns:

"three websites dominate the internet news landscape: MSNBC, CNN and Yahoo News. Each is cited by roughly a quarter of those who get campaign news online at least sometimes, and collectively, 54% cite at least one of these three websites. [...and...] younger online election news consumers also turn to the larger news sites in greater numbers as well. MSNBC, CNN and Yahoo News are cited as sources far more often by 18-29 year olds than by those who are older. In fact, 61% of younger people getting campaign news online list at least one of these three sites among their sources, compared with 46% of those age 30 and older."

The poll also examined the fast-rising influence of Social Networking sites and found that:

"Fully two-thirds of Americans age 18-29 say they use social networking sites, and more than a quarter in this age group (27%) say that they have gotten information about candidates and the campaign from them – including 37% among those ages 18-24. Nearly one-in-ten of people under age 30 (8%) say that they have signed up as a "friend" of one of the candidates on a site. And the numbers are even higher for each of these activities among young registered voters."

For our report on Millenials check out our New Politics Institute report: The Progresive Politics of the Millennial Generation.

For our report on Social Networking check out our New Politics Institute report: Social Networking Tools in Politics. 

On Friday, The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, released results from a new survey on campaign contact with likely voters in the early primary states (IA, NH & SC) as well as nationally.

Not surprisingly, traditional campaign tools are still used overwhelmingly, like the pre-recorded or robo-call, but there is increased use of online tools, such as websites, video and social networking, especially among Millennials. And, despite the high percentage of likely voters who report receiving a pre-recorded (robo-call) from a candidate, the survey reveals that few actually listen to the call, with about a third reporting the calls as a minor annoyance.

"The internet, too, is playing a greater role this year than at a comparable point in the 2004 campaign. In Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, the share of Democratic voters who have visited any of the candidate's websites is up. And in all three states as well as nationwide more Democratic voters are receiving campaign-related email."

As for online campaign activities, besides receiving emails, the most prevalent was video clips:

But, as the Summary states:

"However, there is a substantial age gap in online political activity, particularly when it comes to visiting social network sites to learn more about the campaign. Nationally, 17% of likely voters ages 18 to 34 say they have visited a social network site to learn about the campaign or sign up as a friend; no more than one-in-20 older voters go on these sites to engage in political activity. In addition, younger voters ages 18-34 are more likely than older voters to watch online video clips about the campaign."

This is a trend we've been exploring through the work of our New Politics Institute and discussed in the report: The Progressive Politics of the Millennial Generation

Also, for more on Social Networks, check out NPI's New Tools campaign report: Leverage Social Networks released last month.

To read Pew's summary report of the survey in its entirety visit: http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=377