iPhone / Android users more likely to vote for Obama than Romney, survey claims

Velti today unveiled the results of a nationwide online survey that shows a nearly 20 percent difference in political alignment among voters who own either an Android or iPhone smartphone, illustrating the value of greater behavioral understanding in advertising and marketing to this important emerging demographic. The survey was conducted online, on Velti’s behalf, by Harris Interactive among nearly 800 iPhone and Android smartphone owners.

When asked, “If the presidential election were held today, who would you vote for?” 49 percent of iPhone/Android owners say they would vote for Barack Obama. 31 percent say they would vote for Mitt Romney. At present, traditional presidential polls show Romney pulling slightly ahead in the race when Americans are surveyed, regardless of smartphone preference.

“The results of this survey demonstrate that the smartphone market is becoming a whole new demographic that candidates must take into consideration when building a comprehensive campaign strategy,” said Krishna Subramanian, CMO, Velti, in the press release. “Clearly, mobile advertising is emerging as an influential medium and a distinct audience. We are just beginning to see a more strategic use of this platform, such as Mitt Romney’s iAd campaign, and believe that others will follow suit. More importantly, the survey results reveal that greater intelligence in understanding the behavior of this emerging demographic can be a critical differentiator in brand awareness and consumer behavior across any number of markets and applications.”

The study also found a significant education gap between supporters of the candidates. Of iPhone/Android owners with a college degree or higher, 35 percent plan to support Romney, while 56 percent plan to vote for Obama. Among wealthy iPhone/Android owners — those with a household income of $75,000 a year or greater — 39 percent plan to vote for Romney while Obama maintains a 10 percent lead, with 49 percent of that population planning to re-elect. Romney does, however, maintain an advantage over Obama among retirees, with 57 percent of retired iPhone/Android owners supporting him vs. 34 percent who would vote for Obama if the election were held today.

Overall, the survey found that supporters of each candidate were more evenly split across their choice of smartphone: Obama voters were comprised of 47 percent iPhone owners and 50 percent Android owners, while anticipated Romney voters were made up of 34 percent iPhone owners and 29 percent Android.

Other interesting trends uncovered among iPhone/Android owners who said they would vote for Barack Obama if the presidential election were held today include:

• Over half (54 percent) of male iPhone/Android owners surveyed who are age 18-34 would vote for Obama; they are more likely than males age 35-44 (32 percent) to say this.

• Among female iPhone/Android owners, the support from younger voters is even more significant, with 60 percent of those age 18-34 saying they would vote for the President today compared to just 39 percent of those age 45+.

• iPhone/Android owners who are single/never married are more likely to say they’d vote for Obama today than those who are married (59 percent vs. 43 percent, respectively).

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Velti from June 27-29, 2012 among 2,164 adults ages 18 and older, among whom 776 are iPhone/Android owners. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Source: Velti