More from Pew Internet, as much as 26 percent of the adult American population may have engaged with the midterm elections using their mobile phone. The report found:
82% of adults have cell phones. Of those cell owners, 71% use their phone for texting and 39% use the phone for accessing the internet. With that as context, the Pew Internet survey found that:
- 14% of all American adults used their cell phones to tell others that they had voted.
- 12% of adults used their cell phones to keep up with news about the election or politics.
- 10% of adults sent text messages relating to the election to friends, family members and others.
- 6% of adults used their cells to let others know about conditions at their local voting stations on election day, including insights about delays, long lines, low turnout, or other issues.
- 4% of adults used their phones to monitor results of the election as they occurred.
- 3% of adults used their cells to shoot and share photos or videos related to the election.
- 1% of adults used a cell-phone app that provided updates from a candidate or group about election news.
- 1% of adults contributed money by text message to a candidate or group connected to the election like a party or interest group.
The consequences for this is that campaigns will need to rethink their online presence – sites will need to become mobile-friendly, rethink calls to action and reduce the number of page-loads and clicks.
It also makes collecting mobile numbers of members and supporters important for union campaigns.