Half of US Internet users plan to give online to a political candidate online
Howard Lake | 21 April 2004 | News
In the run-up to the US presidential election, online fundraising company Kintera reports that nearly half of US Internet users plan to give online to a political candidate.
Today’s Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report reveals that among 1,751 U.S. consumers surveyed online, 18% plan to give to a political candidate or party in 2004, and of those, almost half indicated they would make their contribution through online methods.
The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report is a unique research partnership between Kintera® Inc. (Nasdaq: KNTA), a leading technology provider for nonprofit organizations, and Luth Research Inc., a veteran online market research firm.
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The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report, the first to produce in-depth research about the online population’s donation habits, was administered in December 2003 to the Luth Research SurveySavvy Panel, a widely recognized online sample source with 2.4 million individuals. A total of 1,751 respondents in the United States completed the survey, which included six questions and yielded a +/-2.3% margin of error.
Political Giving Highlights
Respondents were asked a variety of questions about their political giving, including what motivates them to give and what method they plan to use to make donations.
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When asked, “How likely are you in 2004 to make a financial contribution to a political candidate or party?” results showed 70% of those surveyed were unlikely; 17% were likely; and 13% were neither likely nor unlikely to make a political contribution.
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Of those respondents likely to make a financial donation to a political candidate or party in 2004, nearly half reported they would be inclined to do so through an online donation method.
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The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report found that respondents more likely to donate to a political party or candidate in 2004 are also active in online and offline philanthropy activities. A comparison between respondents likely to donate and those not likely to donate found:
– 38% have been involved in “donating to a nonprofit organization online” – versus 19% for those unlikely to donate for political causes.
– 61% have participated in a walk, ride or bike type of fundraising event – versus 49% for those unlikely to donate for political causes.
– 39% have solicited funds on behalf of an organization – versus 27% for those unlikely to donate for political causes.
“The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report offers amazing insight into how Internet users are changing the political process,” said Harry Gruber, co-founder and CEO of Kintera. “As more and more candidates take their message to the online population, they must also understand the spirit and demographics of that population.”
Added Roseanne Luth, president and CEO of Luth Research, “We found that among those likely to donate online to a political cause, more than a quarter of the respondents indicated they would react positively to either an email or website content. Based on consumer response to our Luth Research SurveySavvy Panel, a candidate in the 2004 election must reach supporters in ways most convenient to the supporters ¦ including the Internet.”
The Kintera/Luth Nonprofit Trend Report, offering in-depth research about the online population’s donation habits, can be downloaded free by clicking on: www.kintera.org/Kintera-LuthReportApril2004.
About Kintera Inc.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.