The Use of the Internet by Candidates as Part of Their Campaign for Election to the Scottish Parliament in 2003

This paper reports the preliminary results of a study which investigated the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) by political parties and individual candidates as part of their campaign for election to the Scottish Parliament. Two methodologies were used in gathering data. Firstly, a weekly survey of political Web sites was conducted in the four weeks preceding the Scottish Parliamentary election on 1st May 2003, with the content of the sites being analysed to measure activity. Secondly, a series of e-mail enquiries, based around significant issues, were directed at party Web sites and individual candidates in order to measure the extent of interaction, feedback and the creation of an ongoing relationship with enquirers.