Social Media Use Linked to Mixed Views on Democracy

Heavy users of social media are more likely than others to believe that leaders are listening to them and to view democratic participation as effective, according to a study conducted by the Charles F. Kettering Foundation and Gallup. However, they are also less likely to think democracy is the best form of government and more likely to express views that depart from widely held democratic norms about violence and political compromise. Americans who spend more time on social media are more likely to say their experiences and beliefs are respected by others in the country. Forty-two percent of U.S. adults who spend five or more hours a day on social media, defined as “heavy users,” hold this view, compared with 31% of those who do not use social media, and endorsement steadily rises with greater daily use. A similar pattern emerges in Americans’ assessment of how sensitive the government is to the interests of people like them: 31% of heavy users feel the government is responsive to their interests, twice the share of non-users (15%).