In its latest Political Communication Report, the American Political Science Association featured research done by Professor Catie Bailard on the use of the Internet and citizens' evaluation of and participation in government. Her work has been featured here alongside several other top scholars in the political science and political communication fields.
Professor Bailard's article, "Field Experiments and Cross-National Analysis on the Effects of the Internet," finds a clear correlation between Internet use and democratic satisfaction. "Whereas the Internet is correlated with enhanced satisfaction in advanced democracies, Internet use depresses satisfaction and evaluations in nations with weak democratic practices," she says.