Candidates social media outpaces their websites and emails as an online campaign news source
While supporters of each candidate are more likely to turn to their preferred candidate's social media, the data also reveal some political cross-pollination. Among registered voters, one-in-ten Trump supporters go to Clinton's social media posts, which is similar to the 13% of Clinton supporters who turn to Trump's. What's more, the rate at which these registered voters turn to the opposing candidate's social media feed is about on par with the rate at which they turn to their preferred candidate's website or emails: About one-in-ten Clinton supporters (11%) turn to her website and the same portion turn to her emails, where as 10% of Trump's supporters turn to his website and 6% to his emails. Very few turn to the websites and emails of the opposing candidate.
Younger adults stand out as an audience for the campaigns' social media activity. While all age groups rely on social media communications more than email or websites, young adults do so in the largest numbers. Nearly four-in-ten (37%) of those ages 18 to 29 turn to candidates' social media accounts, compared with 28% of those ages 30 to 49, 19% of those ages 50 to 64, and 11% of those 65+. Younger adults also are more likely to turn to candidate websites, although the difference is not as prominent.
