9 Internet users also showed a higher overall rate of voter registration, with about 85 percent of users registered to vote. The trends can be explained partially by the general demographics of the Internet. Users tend to be more educated, including a large number of students, professors and computer industry professionals, and the technology is more available to the wealthy. Among the general electorate, these more educated and affluent groups are generally more politically active than less educated, poorer groups, so it is no surprise that the Internet has inherited their spirit of political activity. 10 Beyond registration and voting patterns, Internet users seem to keep pace with current political news and information.
Many users report feeling more connected with political issues since coming on-line.
Forty-six percent said that they felt equally involved, while 45 percent indicated that since they started using the Internet, the felt more involved and connected with political issues. Only 1.4 percent of users felt less involved since coming on-line. This indicates that the Internet is having some impact on how Americans position themselves in the political sphere. Users are more involved and more active.