Survey: Political Blogs Are Losing Their Luster

An online Harris survey found political blogs are as about as unpopular as a sex scandal during election time.

According to the Harris poll, 56 percent of Americans are not reading political blogs, while 22 percent say they read it a few times a month or more. And apparently, people who are more than 63 are reading political blogs more than those who are 40 and below, according to the Harris poll.

Now, I’m going to show my ignorance here and please forgive me for my lack of polling/surveying understanding but the Harris online survey only polled 2,302 adults back in January. I’m sorry but 2,302 seems to be a very low number and it’s hard to see how it accurately reflects the blog-reading public.

First, let’s take a look at the method of how the survey was done. It was done by online. While I can’t find an article of how the poll was conducted, I can only guess that it appeared as a popup ad, like so many surveys I’ve seen before.

Well, I don’t have time to take surveys, so when these surveys popup and are blocking an interesting article that I’m reading, I quickly click the little X to do away with the annoying intruder. And my guess is so do the majority of blog readers.

And from personally experience, I once created an online poll and even though nearly 30 people visited the Web site, only three people took the poll.

So these two experiences should tell you that the Harris online survey does not reflect what I believe is a far larger blog-reading public.

And since political blogs have a history of breaking major news stories before mainstream media, such how Mike Rogers outted Idaho Senator Larry Craig before the infamous, alleged gay bathroom incident happened and how Josh Marshall’s blog Talking Points Memo lead the media crusade over the controversial firing of U.S. Attorneys, I don’t see them going anywhere any time too soon.