How Does Social Media Influence Voters?

The researcher conducted primary research to gather data and determine if social media influence voters during the presidential election. The questions in the survey reflected the process of voter registration, social media engagement, and the nature of why citizens vote. Survey Social Media & the Vote A survey powered by SurveyMonkey and distributed to 60 individuals through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and personal emails. The survey targeted Democrats, Republicans, Independents, working professionals, and community friends on social media. Republicans and independents dominate Facebook while Democrats are likely to use Twitter to engage in political conversation. Working professionals use LinkedIn, and family and friends received emails to participate in the survey. …show more content…
On Facebook the survey targeted community friends, 2016 presidential candidates “Ted Cuz, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Hillary Clinton”, the Republican and Democrat Committee page. The survey was also shared randomly on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Of the 60 target individuals, only 39 responded and completed the survey via Facebook (28), Twitter (5), LinkedIn (1), and email (5). As a result of low participation, the survey is not an accurate reflection of how social media influence voters during presidential campaigns. The respondents who participated in the survey were also registered voters (92.31%), unregistered (5.13%), or disinterested in registering to vote in political elections (2.56%). (A copy of the survey is available in Appendix B). Below, the survey expands on each section of the survey and how participants