Participation in-media not across media: How the politically engaged use the web for political participation in Poland

Abstract : Online environments offer a range of opportunities for engagement and participation in political information, yet outside of the US little is known of the link between engaging with online information and other forms of political participation. Our research focuses on those politically active online in Poland, employing a survey among a self-selecting sample during the 2011 parliamentary election campaign. This paper explores patterns of participation online and offline, the determining factors for participation and the impact upon voter choice. Our data suggests there are four distinct forms of political participation which tend not to overlap or interlink but are driven by clearly defined ideological attachments, or by desires to be informed. Among those categories, information seeking appears to have a direct link to changing voting behaviour between elections. Our data offers insights into a vibrant online Polish political public sphere shaped by a fragmented and polarised party system and low trust in democratic institutions.