February 4, 2010 • Blog, Company News, News, Poll release

Innovation in politics: trends in iphones, friending, and following

A recent Tulchin Research survey for the tech group CALinnovates.org reveals several trends emerging in social media and technology that have unique implications for the political landscape, particularly with California’s race for Governor. The San Jose Mercury News story reports on the latest poll:

No one has yet come up with a smartphone application that would allow Californians to elect a governor the same way they vote on the fabulousness of “American Idol” contestants, but the surprising results of a new poll being released Wednesday indicate that day may be near.

A statewide survey of 600 likely voters by CALinnovates.org — a nonprofit technowonk group — posed an array of questions about how the electorate is using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Among its findings:

One in 7 voters (16 percent) owns an iPhone, and by a wide margin (57 percent to 31 percent), they favor Jerry Brown, the unannounced Democratic front-runner, over Republican Meg Whitman in the race for governor.

One in 5 voters (21 percent) owns a BlackBerry or other smartphone, and they prefer Whitman for governor (47 percent to 38 percent over Brown). BlackBerry owners skew significantly more Republican (40 percent to 25 percent) than iPhone users (53 percent Democratic). Surrendering to AT&T’s dodgy 3G network apparently is a reliable predictor that voters lean to the left — possibly while trying to get better reception.

More than 2 in 5 voters said they use Facebook, and 40 percent of those reported they use the networking site every day. “That’s a stunning number because voters tilt older,” said Ben Tulchin, who conducted the survey two weeks ago. “We didn’t poll a bunch of twenty-somethings.”

Read the full memo here: CA statewide Public Release

And the facts on social media use here: CA statewide Public Release Facts