WebProNews

Cisco has released a new survey conducted by Compete about the influence of online video and social media applications on American's political engagement.

The Internet was cited by 62 percent of respondents as a regularly used source for 2008 presidential election information and coverage, which was surpassed only by television (82%).

Traffic to popular online video sites increased fivefold in 2008 compared to 2004. About 30 percent of registered voters said they used online video to follow 2008 presidential election coverage.

Seventy-five percent of these online video users felt watching video online allowed them to follow presidential election news and events more closely.

Democrats are more likely to use traditional news sites and social networks or find video content while Republicans tend to use search engines more than Democrats to find online video content.

Online video users appear more engaged in the 2008 presidential election than those who don't watch online video. Over half (62%) of online video users follow the presidential election closely compared to 37 percent of non-online video users.

The majority (68%) of online video users followed both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions compared to only 47 percent of non-online video users.

"Visual networking is clearly playing a significant role in how American voters get political information and express their views," said Ken Wirt, vice president of consumer marketing for Cisco. "The 2008 election has rightfully captured the attention of the United States, and the Internet serves as a very effective tool in helping people investigate issues, make informed choices and share their opinions."