Beyond Brochure-Ware

Studies of candidate Web sites in previous elections have found that most campaign Web sites are “brochure-ware,” reflecting a view of the Web as an digital bulletin board primarily for disseminating information. However, in our analysis of congressional and gubernatorial campaign sites in 2002, we found that a strong majority of sites went beyond brochure-ware in providing not just information about the candidate, but also opportunities for involvement in the campaign. This demonstrates a growing understanding of the Web as a structure facilitating not only information and persuasion, but also various forms of civic engagement.

To measure the degree to which campaign sites enabled involvement, we analyzed a sample of 515 Web sites produced by candidates running for a U.S. House, Senate or gubernatorial office in the 2002 general election, for the presence of features that would enable site visitors to participate in the campaign in any of the following three ways: 1.) receive email from the campaign; 2.) donate to the campaign; or 3.) volunteer.

In addition to persuading undecided voters to vote for the candidate, campaigns have a vested interest in turning supporters into vocal advocates of the candidate. Campaigns gain momentum when supporters are encouraged and enabled to promote the candidate to others in their sphere of influence. Campaigns that provide a structure and tools for supporters to express their support of the candidate to other people, enable mobilization, and thus the possibility of greatly extending the reach and strength of the campaign.

While the offline mobilization structure of campaigns may be centered in bricks-and-mortar offices, the capacity of the Web as a digital network presents a potentially vast and powerful online structure for mobilization— which some campaigns are beginning to employ more extensively. To assess the level of mobilization structure on campaign sites, we analyzed 515 sites for the presence of features enabling Web users to 1.) send links from the campaign site to friends; 2.) download campaign e-paraphernalia (e.g. screensavers); or 3.) send letters to editors of local news organizations expressing support for the candidate.

Enabling Engagement

We found that 84% of all campaign sites in 2002 provided online structure for facilitating involvement in the campaign by employing at least one feature enabling campaign donations, volunteer sign-up, or subscriptions to campaign email lists. Sixty-one percent of all campaign sites employed two or more of these three features that facilitated involvement in the campaign via the Web. The prevalence of online structure for mobilization was significantly lower. Approximately one in five campaign sites enabled supporters to promote the candidate to others through one of three mobilizing features. Only 6% of candidate sites employed two or three of these features. (See Table 1)

Table 1: Presence of Engagement Features on Candidate Web Sites

Type of Engagement / Specific feature	% sites with 1 feature	% sites with 2 or more features	% sites with specific feature	Sites Examined
Involvement	84%	61%		515
Sign up to volunteer			75%
Online Donation			56%
Sign up for email			49%
Mobilization	21%	6%		515
Send Links			12%
E-Paraphernalia			10%
Facilitate Letters to Editors			6%

Characteristics of Campaigns with Online Structure for Engagement

Candidates affiliated with one of the two major parties were more likely than third party candidates to facilitate involvement and mobilization via their Web sites. Campaigns in medium and high intensity races were more likely than campaigns in less competitive races to employ Web site features enabling both involvement and mobilization. Web sites produced by campaigns for House, Senate or gubernatorial offices were equally likely to facilitate involvement. However, Senate campaigns were about twice as likely as House or gubernatorial campaigns to enable mobilization via their Web sites. Candidate gender and incumbency status were not significant factors. (See Table 2)

Table 2: Engagement-Enabling Campaign Sites by Candidate Type

Characteristics of Candidates	% sites with involvement features	% sites with mobilization features	Sites Examined
All Candidates	84%	21%	515
Office Sought		*
Governor	85%	22%	109
House	84%	17%	335
Senate	85%	41%	71
Party Type	*	*
Major Party	89%	23%	411
Third Party	65%	14%	104
Campaign Intensity	*	*
Low	79%	17%	231
Medium	89%	23%	150
High	87%	28%	134
Incumbency
Challengers	83%	20%	378
Incumbents	88%	23%	137
Gender
Male	83%	21%	441
Female	89%	24%	74
* indicates statistical significance at .05 or greater for independent variable in multi-variate regression

Summary

Most campaign sites provided an opportunity for civic engagement by employing at least one feature that enabled involvement with the campaign via the Web site. One in five campaigns enabled mobilization through their Web site. Major party affiliation and race intensity were significant predictors of the prevalence of online structure for involvement. Candidates running for Senate offices, affiliated with major parties, or in competitive races were more likely than others to facilitate mobilization via their sites. Overall, these findings indicate that although a strong majority of campaign sites in 2002 provided online structure for supporters to get involved in the campaign, relatively few campaigns made use of the mobilization capacity of the Web.

Methods & Sources:

This analysis was conducted by researchers associated with WebArchivist.org, a research group directed by Professors Kirsten Foot and Steven Schneider at the University of Washington and the SUNY Institute of Technology. This analysis is part of a broader project investigating the role of the Internet in the 2002 elections. The project is sponsored by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Campaign Web sites were identified through searches on publicly available and subscription-only Web sites, including politics1.com, www.greenpapers.com, www.washingtonpost.com, www.google.com and the National Journal. For this report, approximately 515 sites were analyzed during each of the final 12 weeks of the campaign. The sites for these analysis sets were chosen by randomly sampling sites from races at a variety of competitiveness levels, with an emphasis on competitive races. Campaign Intensity was measured using competitiveness rankings available on publicly available and subscription-only Web sites, including www.washingtonpost.com and the National Journal.

Citations:

We encourage you to use the reports published on PoliticalWeb.Info in your own publications. When referencing this report, please consider using the following citation: “Opportunites for Civic Engagement on Campaign Sites,” by Kirsten A. Foot, Steven M. Schneider, Michael Xenos and Meghan Dougherty. PoliticalWeb.Info, Kirsten A. Foot & Steven M. Schneider (Editors), March 4, 2003, http://politicalweb.info/reports/engagement.html.

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