According to NASTD estimates, the 50 states spend at least $3.5 billion a year on IT.
IDC: Government spending around the world
Government purchases of software totalled almost $17 billion globally in 2002, and the figure is expected to grow by about 9% a year for the next five years, according to IDC. Microsoft controls a relatively small part of this market, with sales to governments estimated at around $2.8 billion.
Voters Highly Engaged with Politics Online
The study, conducted by the Center for Survey and Research Analysis at the University of Connecticut, found that 68% of voters who use the Internet are likely to research a candidate’s position online. This finding was relatively consistent across party lines, with a clear majority of Democrats (57%), Republicans (68%) and Independents (59%) very or somewhat likely to do so.
The study also found that nearly 30% of Internet users are interested in seeing political advertisements online, a significant finding in view of the relative under-exposure of this type of advertising on the Internet to date. Sixty percent of Internet users say they are likely to notice an ad for a candidate online, while 20% percent would rather watch a candidate’s ad online than on television.