Social media platforms are important for political and social activists. However, while most Americans believe these platforms are effective tools for raising awareness and creating a sustained movement, a majority believe they are distracting and fail to actually bring about change. They also believe they’re making people believe they’re making a difference when they’re not, a new Pew Research Center study finds. .
Overall, 8 in 10 Americans say social media platforms are very helpful in raising public awareness about politics and social issues, according to a survey of U.S. adults conducted July 13-19. (31%) or somewhat (49%) say it is effective. A similar proportion (77%) believe these platforms are at least somewhat effective at creating sustainable social movements.
Minorities, although still in the majority, believe that social media can bring issues to the attention of elected officials (65%), influence policy decisions (63%), or discuss political and social issues. say it is at least somewhat effective at changing people’s minds (58%).
Pew Research Center conducted this survey to understand how Americans think about the effectiveness of social media as a tool for social and political action, change, and engagement. For this analysis, we surveyed 10,211 U.S. adults from July 13 to 19, 2020. All participants are members of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel drawn from a nationwide random sample of residential addresses. In this way, nearly every American adult has the opportunity to choose. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education, and other categories. Learn more about ATP’s methodology here.
Below are the questions, answers, and methodology used in this report.
More people across political parties describe these platforms as effective than ineffective in achieving these goals. Still, there are some partisan differences.
Democratic-leaning Democrats and independents are more likely than Republicans or Republican-leaning people to use social media sites as a way to raise public awareness about politics and social issues (86% vs. 74%) and create sustained social movements. more likely to say it is at least somewhat effective (86% vs. 74%). 82% vs. 73%) and get elected officials to pay attention to the issue (71% vs. 59%). When it comes to the effectiveness of these platforms in influencing policy and changing people’s minds, the partisan divide is not that wide.
It is noticeable that the Democratic Party also views social media platforms as: very Effective at raising awareness: 39% of Democrats say social media is very effective in this regard, compared to 22% of Republicans.
Related article: 55% of US social media users say they are “exhausted” by political posts and discussions
Although younger Americans are more likely than older adults to use some social media platforms, there are few age differences in views about the effectiveness of these sites for political engagement, and for some purposes There are also differences in political parties among young people. For example, 87% of Democrats between the ages of 18 and 29 say social media sites are at least somewhat effective at raising awareness, compared to 76% of Republicans in the same age group. There is. Democrats between the ages of 18 and 29 are also more likely than Republicans to believe that these sites create sustained social movements (84% vs. 74%) and bring issues to the attention of elected officials. more likely to say it is at least somewhat effective (72% vs. 60%).
In the lead-up to the presidential election, social media platforms have played a role in raising awareness about voting issues, disseminating information about presidential candidates, and allowing users to participate in online activities and campaigns. But when asked about social media’s broader impact on political discourse, there are some signs that Americans believe these platforms can have both positive and negative effects.
On the brighter side, nearly two-thirds of Americans agree that “social media brings to light important issues that might otherwise get less attention” (65%) and “social media It helps give voice to underrepresented groups” (64%). ) explains social media very or somewhat well. And half of Americans say the statement “social media has made it easier to hold powerful people accountable for their actions” describes these platforms at least somewhat well. .
But even more of the public believes these platforms are distracting and that people may be engaging in “lazyism” (a term used by critics to describe online activity). . Roughly 8 in 10 Americans (79%) say the statement “Social media distracts people from issues that really matter” describes social media very or somewhat well. , while a similar proportion (76%) said the same about the term “social media.” The media makes people think they are making a difference when in fact they are not. ”
Democrats are more likely than Republicans to see the positive impact of social media. For example, three-quarters of Democrats agree that the statement “social media highlights important issues that might otherwise get less attention” describes these platforms at least somewhat well. compared with 55% of Republicans. Democrats are also more likely than Republicans to say these platforms help give voice to underrepresented groups (75% vs. 52%) and make it easier to hold those in power accountable for their actions. higher (60% vs. 40%).
By comparison, there is more partisan agreement regarding some negative aspects of using social media platforms for political engagement. But Republicans are more likely than Democrats to believe social media is distracting people from issues that really matter (82% vs. 77%) or is making a difference when it’s not. (80% vs. .74%).
Young Americans tend to have more positive views about social media’s social impact. However, as with political engagement, partisan differences still exist among the youngest age groups. For example, 70% of Democrats between the ages of 18 and 29 say social media has made it easier to hold those in power accountable for their actions, compared to 49% of Republicans in the same age group. was. Young Democrats are also more likely than Republican Democrats to say that social media helps give voice to underrepresented groups (82% vs. 63%) that might not otherwise receive attention. more likely to say it highlights important issues (79% vs. 64%).
Americans’ views on some of these issues have remained statistically unchanged since the center last asked these questions in 2018. For example, there has been no noticeable change in people’s views that social media helps give voice to underrepresented groups, highlight important issues, or distract people from important issues. .
Still, there has been a slight shift in the perception that social media has made it easier to hold those in power accountable for their actions. Half of Americans now think so, down from 56% in 2018. At the same time, a growing percentage of Americans believe that social media platforms are making people think they are making a difference, when in fact they are not. He increased from 71% in 2018 to 76% in the new survey.
Some of these changes persist when we focus on partisan affiliation. The share of Republicans who say social media has made it easier to hold those in power accountable for their actions has fallen from 51% in 2018 to 40% now, but that view has not changed among Democrats. do not have. Meanwhile, Democrats are slightly more likely (+7 percentage points) to say social media is making people think it’s bringing about change when it actually isn’t, while Republicans’ view has been more consistent over the years.
Note: This is part of a series of blog posts leading up to the 2020 presidential election that explores the role of social media in today’s politics. Below are the questions, answers, and methodology used in this report.
Brooke Auxier is a former research fellow specializing in internet and technology at Pew Research Center.
Colleen McClain He is a research fellow at Pew Research Center specializing in Internet and technology research.