Comment: TikTok? Is the neighbor crazy? A new poll sheds light on where voters get their information

One day and it will all be over. I’m referring to the primary election, of course, and the relentless campaign ads that permeate every aspect of who we are as Californians.

Real or paid influencers who promote candidates on TikTok and Instagram. Facebook ads insult or praise various methods. The endless, repetitive TV campaigns get worse with every election, yet still manage to feel like an analogue holdover from 1982. Even worse? Those sponsored flyers and postcard mailers that end up as makeshift coasters, mosquito swatters or unread trash go straight from the mailbox into the blue recycling bin.

The king of ad spending is Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer. He is leading the most expensive political advertising campaign in the country this year. A former hedge fund manager, Steyer reportedly spent more than $200 million on his campaign, much of that on broadcast TV, cable and radio — 20 times the amount spent by another Democrat, former US Health and Human Services Secretary and California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. And Steyer is still polling behind Becerra.

I never thought I would write this but it’s not always about money.

Voters have more resources than ever when it comes to choosing to research and learn about who and what is poised to shape the future of their city, county and state.

There is no shortage of broadcast, cable, digital and print reporting about former TV personality and former mayor Spencer Pratt. You use AI!

The battle between incumbent Karen Bass and her closest Democratic challenger, Los Angeles city council member Nithya Raman, dominates local affairs. And there are experts from both sides who argue for and against these options on all available platforms.

Given the amount of information now in the hands of the voter, we should be the most informed voters in the history of voting. But us?

A new poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies sponsored by the Los Angeles Times asked 8,578 registered voters across California what sources they rely on for news and information about election-related issues. The poll, conducted online May 19-24 in English and Spanish, found that nearly half of state voters (47%) said they refer to the official voter information guide.e mailed to voters before each election.

Finding that an unaffiliated, unsponsored data source topped the list is a welcome surprise. Today’s media verse is so fragmented and divided along political lines, I just thought that confirmation bias would drive most people to friendly sources, ie what they want to hear.

Not surprisingly, 44% of those polled said they use Google or other search engines to look for election-related information, and more than 3 in 10 get election-related information from social media (39%). Traditional methods of information were not far behind search engines. Those interviewed said they still rely on national TV or cable news (39%), newspapers, online or print (37%), and local TV news (35%). One in three (33%) get word of mouth information from family, friends, neighbors or co-workers.

Gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Tom Steyer, right, meets supporters at a campaign stop.

(Sara Nevis/For The Times)

“The stark disparity in media coverage across generations, in education and engagement, suggests that we are a long way from the information environment that dominated most of the 20th century, where local newspapers, network news and local television stations dominated,” said Professor Eric Schickler, co-director of the Institute of Governmental Studies. “This divide means that voters may no longer be able to share common ground when evaluating candidates and election issues.”

The growing fragmentation of the ways in which voters seek information, fueled by rapid changes in technology and media, has kept political campaign strategists on their toes.

“Attention is the first obstacle, and then once you get that attention, how do you turn that into support?” said Democratic Alliance campaign consultant and strategist Brian Brokaw. “You have to create a buzz around you to persuade a voter to support a candidate or your issue, and they need to hear it in many ways. Voters are born with a reluctance to advertise, especially if it’s direct marketing from a candidate. That’s why you see the use of many influencers in campaigns, especially those who may be paid influencers. It’s an important issue in the governor’s race.”

Age, or generational difference, is another determining factor in which voters seek more wisdom on issues and candidates. The survey found that two-thirds of voters under the age of 30 (67%) and the majority of those aged 30-39 (52%) use social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram, or TikTok to get their information.

Getting to know a candidate, especially through social media, is never part of a solid, fact-finding mission. Laughing at Pratt’s Batman-themed video or a post by Gov. Gavin Newsom X’s humor is more about connecting with someone than debunking his policies. Real or imagined, finding a candidate through someone’s Instagram feels more natural than seeing them on a billboard or in a TV ad.

“One way politics has changed is that people are looking for authenticity [Zohran] Mamdani, was very successful and rose from the back of the pack to become the mayor of New York City. But what people see doesn’t mean that’s the truth,” warned Republican consultant and campaign strategist Kevin Spillane.” “I have been involved in politics for 40 years. Many people are not the way they express themselves. But we still yearn for the truth, we want to believe [in someone]we want that connection.”

We’ll soon see who Californians choose to represent them and what they care about — whichever candidate fought the best campaign battle, big political debates be damned. But it may take a minute to count all the votes. California reached a record number of registered voters ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Officials say more than 23.1 million Californians are registered to vote statewide.

West Coasters who want to understand what they are voting for have endless resources to turn to, some more helpful than others. Sponsored mailers (the aforementioned mosquito swatters) were liked by only 9% of those polled as a useful source of information. But did you really need a survey to tell you that?