Pew Research has found that significant numbers of voters are using their phones to interact with the 2012 US election campaign. Many have received marketing from candidates, but with smartphone owners making up less than half of registed voters, texts appear to be more effective than apps. Social networking is also proving a powerful tool for smartphone owners.

88 per cent of registered voters in the US own a mobile phone – less than the population at large – with 48 per cent of those saying they have a smartphone. 

14 per cent of all mobile-owning voters have text messages related to the campaign to friends, family members, or others. 5 per cent have signed up to receive texts directly from a candidate or other group involved in the campaign, and the same number have received spam messages from candidates. Just 3.6 per cent have used an app to interact with campaigns. 

Of the 48 per cent of registered voters who own a smartphone, 45 per cent have read other people’s comments on a social networking site and 18 per cent have posted their own thoughts using their phone.

27 per cent of registered voters who own a mobile – feature or smart – have used their phone to keep up with news related to the 2012 election or political issues in general. The report said that users ability to fact check is becoming increasingly important, with 35 per cent of smartphone owners using it to look up whether something they just heard was true or not.

Democrats and Republicans are equally likely to own a feature phone, a smartphone, send texts or use apps, but liberals are more likely than conservatives to use their phone to get political news.