Online Participation and Mobilisation in Britain: Hype, Hope and Reality

Parliamentary Affairs

Volumn 56, Issue 4, 2003, Pages 652-668+i

  Ward, Stephen ^a   Gibson, Rachel ^b   Lusoli, Wainer ^c  

^a UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD   (United Kingdom)

^b AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

^c UNIVERSITY OF LONDON   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 10744225443     PISSN: 00312290     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsg108     Document Type: Review

References (21)

1. See, for example, N. Negroponte, Being Digital, Coronet, 1995, or L. Grossman, The Electronic Republic, Penguin, 1995.
2. See, for example, N. Negroponte, Being Digital, Coronet, 1995, or L. Grossman, The Electronic Republic, Penguin, 1995.
3. See particularly, M. Margolis and D. Resnick, Politics as Usual: the Cyberspace Revolution, Sage, 2000; and P. Norris, A Virtuous Circle, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
4. See particularly, M. Margolis and D. Resnick, Politics as Usual: the Cyberspace Revolution, Sage, 2000; and P. Norris, A Virtuous Circle, Cambridge University Press, 2001.
5. For details of the wider research project see www.ipop.org.uk.
6. S. Coleman, Hearing Voices: The Experience of Online Public Consultations and Discussions in UK Governance, Hansard Society, 2002.
7. See J. Jackson, 'View from the Parties: The Conservatives' in S. Coleman (ed.), 2001 Cyberspace Odyssey: The Internet in the UK Election, Hansard Society, 2001.
8. For more on this argument in relation to political parties, see P. Norris, 'Preaching to the Converted? Pluralism, Participation and Party Websites', Party Politics, January 2003.
9. N. Buxton, 'Dial Up Networking for Debt Cancellation and Development: A Case Study of Jubilee 2000' in S. Hick and J. McNult (eds), Advocacy, Activism and the Internet, Lyceum Books, 2002.
10. See C. Sunstein, Republic.com, Princeton University Press, 2001.
11. For details of the usefulness of the Internet in the Stop War Movement see A. Alexander, 'A Revolution for Revolt', Guardian, 20.2.03.
12. See M. Diani, 'Social Movements Networks, Virtual and Real', Information Communication and Society, Autumn 2000.
13. B. Bimber, 'The Internet and Political Transformation: Populism, Community and Accelerated Pluralism', Polity, 1998.
14. Interviews with organisational officials 2 August 2002.
15. Membership were undertaken additionally with the GPMU trade union and the Labour Party. Details of the surveys can be found at www.ipop.org.uk and the findings of the Liberal Democrat survey are reported more fully in W. Lusoli, R. Gibson and S. Ward, 'Virtually Participating: A Survey of Online Party Members', Information Polity, Summer 2003.
16. The postal questionnaire was sent to 1969 members in a random sample stratified according to region, the organisation being divided into 17 geographic units.
17. For instance the authoritative OFTEL Residential survey of Internet use, see the 29 April 2002 release http://www.oftel.co.uk/publications/research/2002/q8intr0402.htm. See also the July 2002 report from National Statistics, found at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intacc0702.pdf.
18. For instance the authoritative OFTEL Residential survey of Internet use, see the 29 April 2002 release http://www.oftel.co.uk/publications/research/2002/q8intr0402.htm. See also the July 2002 report from National Statistics, found at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intacc0702.pdf.
19. Figures taken from 'Internet Access: 11.4 Million Homes Now Online' Report published online 29 April 2003. Source for individuals accessing the Internet: National Statistics Omnibus Survey. Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nugget.asp?ID=8&Pos=4&ColRank= 1&Rank=176(accessed on 11 May 2003).
20. The questions asked were two-fold: first, whether respondents had ever visited one of a range of six types of political organisations or news sites or had some type of online communication with them. Overall 29% reported having done so. Those that had visited the sites were then whether they would have done this by other means, such as writing or telephoning, or researching them in a library if the online method had not been available? Overall 35% said they would not and 63% said that they would.
21. The question asked respondents what impact visiting the sites or having online contact with these organisations had had on them, Their options ranging from less likely, no difference, more likely to find out more, more likely to become actively involved and actually became actively involved. Overall while 61% reported no difference, this was skewed by the response to the mainstream news sites. For parties, pressure groups, alternative media groups and protest networks, the majority of respondents reported their visit stimulated them to find out, and in some instances become more actively involved.