• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 10, 2011

According to a new study from Scarborough Research, Mom Bloggers’ social and political influence reach far beyond the confines of the playground (Women with at least one child in their household and have read or contributed to a blog in the past 30 days. They make up 14% of all American moms.) The study shows that Mom Bloggers are much more politically involved and socially mindful than their non-blogging counterparts, and are more than twice as likely as all mothers to have contributed to a political organization in the past twelve month

76% of Mom Bloggers assert that they “always” vote in presidential elections, while 45% “always” vote in state elections. In terms of party identification:

• 29% of Mom Bloggers self-identify as Democrat
• 25% as Republican
• 29% as Independent.
• 12%Independent but closer to Democrat
• 9%Independent but closer to Republican

While no single political party unifies Mom Bloggers, the Study shows that they find consensus via cultural and environmental issues. They are more than twice as likely as all moms to have contributed to an arts/cultural organization. Additionally, Mom Bloggers are:

• 75% more likely to have contributed to a social care/welfare organization
• 64% more likely to have contributed to an environmental organization
• 85% more likely than all mothers to support a politician based on environmental issues
• 38% more likely to have done volunteer work in the past year

Deirdre McFarland, vice president of marketing and communications, Scarborough Research, notes that “...as politicians become more digital-marketing savvy and their campaigns more technologically sophisticated, the Mom Bloggers’ influence in the online community might make them a key demographic to watch this election year.”

Demographically, Mom Bloggers are 52% more likely than all mothers to have completed a college or post-graduate education.

• They are roughly the same average age (37) as moms overall
• The average household income for Mom Bloggers is $14,000 higher than moms overall, totaling $84,000 per year
• They are 88% more likely to pay more for eco-friendly products and services
• 89% of Mom Bloggers have children between two and eleven years of age

Buying behavior for Mom Bloggers is consistently motivated by environmental concerns and awareness. For example:

• Mom Bloggers are 69% more likely than all moms to buy organic food on a regular basis
• They are 46% more likely to purchase locally grown food
• Mom Bloggers are 49% more likely than all mothers to buy eco-friendly cleaning products

Mom Bloggers’ online habits are also illustrative. In the past 30 days:

• 90% of Mom Bloggers have visited a social networking website
• 77% checked the weather
• 70% paid bills online and
• 46% browsed the web for coupons.

Says McFarland, “Mom Bloggers... are media makers... Mom Bloggers are a great example of people who use the Internet as their primary platform, but are still active with other kinds of media...”

• Mom Bloggers were 38% more likely to have visited a broadcast TV website in the past 30 days and
• 51% more likely to have visited a newspaper website in that time
• 20% more likely to listen to news radio and
• 58% of Mom Bloggers watch the local news on television.

For additional information from Scarborough Research, please view the Infographic here.