The study analyzed 12,704 social media posts across 1,244 Facebook and Instagram profiles of U.S. House candidates from September 1st through 14th, 2024.
Key Findings
- Republican candidates’ posts receive up to 9 times more likes on social media platforms compared to their Democratic counterparts.
- The superior performance of Republican candidates’ posts indicates that their messaging resonates well and generates much higher enthusiasm than the Democratic candidates’ posts.
- Social media algorithms give further advantage to Republican messaging due to higher levels of engagement.
Potential Impact on 2024 Election
Impacts could be significant, based on information in studies by Pew Research Center, Brookings Institution and others. Democrats are likely to encounter these election-impacting situations:
- Reduced voter turnout
- Fewer chances to connect with younger voters.
- Fewer opportunities to counter misinformation
Social media algorithms amplify the difference even further: Posts that gain more likes and shares are shown to more individuals within the social media platforms. As a result, the Democratic candidates’ lower number of likes and shares give Republicans’ messaging enhanced reach over Democrats’ messaging.
Expert Analysis
“Our findings indicate that Democratic candidates may be falling behind in creating engaging content that resonates with their followers and spreads their message,” says Steve Chafe, lead analyst at Online Impact Group LLC. “This gap in social media performance could have real-world consequences for voter engagement and turnout.”
About Online Impact Group LLC
Online Impact Group LLC is a marketing engineering firm specializing in growth marketing. Using data science, AI, and human-factor analysis, the company optimizes consumer revenue flow from initial awareness to customer acquisition and customer experience, to customer loyalty and online reputation. For more information visit https://onlineimpactgroup.com.
The full study can be found here: https://onlineimpactgroup.com/news/2024-election-social-media-deficits
Press Contact
Kylee Cochran
kcochran@onlineimpactgroup.com
(619) 643-2032
