For Most Elected Officials, Likes and Shares on Twitter Hard to Come By: Study

Social media was supposed to be the great equalizer, but a new study suggests that most elected officials in Canada, the United States and elsewhere are struggling to connect with people on Twitter. Matt Rourke/THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP

WASHINGTON—Social media was supposed to be the great equalizer, but a majority of elected officials in Canada, the United States, and elsewhere are struggling to connect with people on Twitter, a new study suggests.

Among rank-and-file federal legislators in five countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, 25 percent of active tweeters produced 65 percent of the content, says the study, released Monday by the Washington-based Pew Research Center.