Social media analysis by global market research firm ORC International shows that there was a significant spike in social chatter involving vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan upon Mitt Romney's formal announcement of his selection on Aug. 11.
Social dialog about Ryan, captured by ORC International's Social Buzz blog, skyrocketed the day of the announcement, but has experienced a steady trail downward since then.
Important to the Romney campaign is that much of the conversation is positive in sentiment with almost half (47%) of all social media posts having a positive tone, 27% reflecting a negative tone and 26% a mixed tone.
"It is still very early in the game to assess the impact social media might have on the public's perception of Paul Ryan, but the sustainability of positive dialog will be important to ensure social chatter is a constructive force for the Romney/Ryan ticket," said Jeffrey Resnick, ORC International's global managing director. "According to our latest CNN|ORC International poll released on Aug. 16, Ryan currently maintains a 50% favorability rating, higher than Mitt Romney's 45% rating in his home state of Wisconsin. It will be important to track how his favorability rating trends as the campaign progresses."
Resnick continued: "Monitoring social media will add an additional dimension to the analysis."
According to CNN, the results of the recent poll have moved Wisconsin into the category of a "toss-up" state, one that was won by Obama in 2008. Today, Obama leads in Wisconsin by only a single-digit margin, 49% to 45%, showing the Republican ticket may be closing the gap on winning Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes.
ORC International is a leading global research firm with offices across the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific. The company has been a partner of CNN on the CNN|ORC International poll since 2006 and founding member of the CASRO.
For more information about its social media analysis, visit its blog at www.orcsocialbuzz.com or the company website at http://www.ORCInternational.com.
