The rise of the internet has reduced voter turnout

Research published today by Dr Stephan Heblich of the University of Bristol shows that during the initial phase of the internet, a 'crowding-out? of political information occurred, which has affected voter turnout. The internet has transformed the way in which voters access and receive political information. It has allowed politicians to directly communicate their message to voters, circumventing the mainstream media which would traditionally filter information. Writing in IZA World of Labor , Dr Heblich from the Department of Economics , presents research from a number of countries, comparing voter behaviour of municipalities with internet access to the ones without in the early 2000s. It shows municipalities with broadband internet access faced a decrease in voter turnout, due to voters suddenly facing an overwhelmingly large pool of information and not knowing how to filter relevant knowledge efficiently. Similarly, the internet seemed to have crowded out other media at the expense of information quality. However, the introduction of interactive social media and "user-defined" content appears to have reversed this.