POLL: Social Media Critical to 2010 Gubernatorial Race

iPhone users prefer Jerry Brown; Blackberry users prefer Meg Whitman

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Today, CALinnovates.org, a new technology coalition, released statewide polling results showing new and interesting ways voters are using and relying on technology.

Among the findings:

• iPhone users prefer Jerry Brown; Blackberry users prefer Meg Whitman:  iPhone users support Democratic candidate Jerry Brown over Republican candidate Meg Whitman 57% to 31%, but Blackberry users support Whitman over Brown 47% to 38%.
• Supermajority of voters use Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for the younger generation—62% of voters under 50 use Facebook.
• Nearly half of voters follow candidate's Facebook and Twitter profiles: 40% of social media users support or follow candidates via Facebook or Twitter.
• Nearly one-third of independent voters utilize social media sites for political news and information: 26% of voters read political news and information via social media sites—including 30% of independents.

"We all saw during President Obama's campaign that New Media is important. But this poll shows it's now becoming the norm for voters, especially those under 50," said pollster Ben Tulchin. "Political leaders need to understand that voters are no longer letting traditional media outlets dictate what they support. Candidates need to adjust with the times or be left behind."

Survey methodology:  600 voters statewide by telephone, conducted January 20-25, 2010, margin of error +/- 3.9%, included both landline and cell phones.

To view the survey memo and launch press release online, please visit: http://www.calinnovates.org/issues/surveys and http://www.calinnovates.org/about/press_release.

CALinnovates.org (www.CALinnovates.org) is a new technology organization that seeks to champion the conversation about the future of California's critical technology sector. Bringing together industry experts, thought leaders, tech innovators, policymakers and consumers, CALinnovates.org's non-partisan mission is to promote innovation, increase access to technology, create new jobs, spur investment and support tech-friendly policies.

SOURCE CALinnovates.org