I participate (on line), therefore I am. An analysis of the social and political participation through the Internet in Spain

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show some empirical evidence on the factors driving social and political participation in the Internet in Spain. Using the well-known resources approach in the literature on social and political participation, our general assumption is that the different types of resources that citizens have (individual resources, group resources...) structure their opportunities to participate social and politically in the Internet. Specifically, we explore the determinants of social and political online involvement through the issuance of opinions, participation in consultations or/and voting on political and civic affairs. The results suggest that the highest participation is among youngsters and surprisingly among unemployed people. It also shows that the gender gap not only arises in offline environment but also online.