This article attempts to contribute to improving our understanding of the relationship between Internet use, on the one hand, and the political participation of citizens, on the other. We emphasize the factors that determine regular internet use and user profiles in relation to political values and participation. Analysis of data from the Latinobarómetro 2007 survey indicate age and educational level as primary determinants of Internet use in Brazil. Occupation, as well as a proxy used for income did not have a consistent impact on people's probabilities of connecting, thus contrasting Brazilian data with data on Argentine and Chilean cases. At the same time, the public belonging to the on-line community demonstrated greater mobilization, in terms of traditional forms of political participation, and little differentiation in terms of political opinions, when compared to non-users of this new technology. This evidence suggests that connection to the digital world tends to enhance the voice of segments of the population that already enjoy privileged access to government and public policy managers, particularly given their cultural capital, although there are some signs of existing opportunities for other segments of society sectors. It also indicates that the importance of the country's "digital divide" can be relativized, since internauts do not hold opinions that are significantly different from those of the rest of the population.
Internet; on-line participation; democracy; political trust
