The Pew Internet and American Life Project says in a report Tuesday that people who participate in civic life online tend to be richer and better educated. That's not much different from the makeup in offline politics. Pew counts activities such as contacting government officials, signing petitions or making political or charitable donations.

At the same time, social media sites like Twitter and Facebook are driving civic engagement among young people. On social networks, people are less divided along income and education levels when it comes to civic activism.

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