Voters watching online videos of US campaigns

WASHINGTON - A majority of US voters are watching online videos related to the 2012 election or other political issues, a study showed on Tuesday.

The Pew Internet and American Life study found that 66% of registered voters who use the Internet, or 55% of all voters, have gone online this election to watch politically related videos.

The survey found 48% of online registered voters watch video news reports about the election or politics, and 40% viewed recorded videos online of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates.

It found 39% watched informational videos online that explain a political issue and 37% viewed humorous or parody videos dealing with political issues.

About one-in-three in the survey said they watched political advertisements online and more than one-in-four saw live videos online of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates.

Pew found 23% of Internet-using registered voters encouraged others to watch videos related to political issues, but that just one percent created their own videos online related to politics or the election.

The study was based on a survey of 1,006 voters.

Source: AFP via I-NET Bridge