Despite the hype, few voters are turning to the Internet to learn about presidential candidates

Nucleus Research, a global provider of information technology research and advisory services, today revealed that social networking, blog and political parties’ Web sites are affecting voter opinion far less than the recent buzz would suggest.

According to a survey conducted in June 2007 by Nucleus Research and KnowledgeStorm, 72 percent of respondents report that mainstream media (MSM) such as newspapers and magazines are their primary sources for political information. More than 56 percent of respondents also cite these mediums as the sources that they trust the most when seeking to gain political knowledge.

"There’s been tremendous publicity surrounding how many 'friends' candidates have on MySpace, the 'Obama Girl' video on YouTube and Bill and Hillary's Soprano's spoof," said Rebecca Wettemann, vice president of research for Nucleus Research. "While these stories are entertaining, the fact of the matter is that people trust and rely upon what they learn from MSM more than five times as much as the information they access on the Internet."

Less than 5 percent of respondents turn to YouTube as a source of information, and only 19 percent use candidates' Web sites. In addition, only 14 percent utilize political parties' Web sites.

The survey also found that 18 percent of respondents gather their information from alternative news programs, such as the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

"Candidates have rushed to create an 'Internet persona' to keep pace with our tech-savvy society, but at a significant cost," said Jeff Ramminger, executive vice president, KnowledgeStorm. "When it comes to believability, Nucleus' research has found that MSM still holds the most weight. The results of the Nucleus survey prove that what is perceived as most edited and vetted remains the most trusted."

The survey also found that only 51 percent of people feel as though they have a clear understanding of what the candidates stand for. This finding helps to explain why many voters hold MSM in such high esteem. Results suggest that voters are anxious to learn more about their potential leaders, but do not have the time to sift through what's fact, fiction or propaganda on sponsored Web sites, or less traditional media outlets such as blogs.

Of those respondents who do use the Internet to gather political information, more than 38 percent believe that Hillary Clinton is doing the best job of delivering her message via the Web; Barack Obama holds the number two spot, according to 19 percent of respondents.

"The bottom-line question is: are Barack Obama's 97,954 Facebook 'friends' going to help him secure the swing vote and defeat Hillary Clinton? We believe absolutely not," added Cheryl Gutowski, analyst at Nucleus Research.

To download a copy of the full report, go to www.NucleusResearch.com.

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global provider of IT research and advisory services that provides CFOs, CIOs and their staffs with the real-world information they need to maximize the business returns from their technology investments, including successfully executing their IT deployments and determining the business value of their initiatives. Nucleus Research is the only technology research firm that is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). For more information, visit www.NucleusResearch.com.

About KnowledgeStorm

KnowledgeStorm is the Internet's top-ranked search resource for technology solutions and information. Leveraging the KnowledgeStorm Network of premier partners and its extensive search expertise, KnowledgeStorm is able to reach technology buyers and deliver the information they need no matter where their search begins. KnowledgeStorm, with its network, search expertise and performance tools and services, is a powerful resource for technology vendors, providing them the most opportunities to reach buyers on the Internet and convert them into Web leads. For more information, call (877) 340-9274 or visit www.knowledgestorm.com.