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Have you ever heard a politician make a claim you just couldn’t believe, so you turned to Google or Wikipedia for the truth? You’re far from alone — 64% of “persuadable voters” use the Internet to fact-check political candidates, according to a recent study.

The study also found that a majority of persuadable voters in several battleground states — 58% — are using the Internet to look up candidates’ voting records or stances on the important issues of the day. 49% are getting their regular fill of election news online, and 53% said the Internet provides them “with the information they need.”

“The Internet is an increasingly important resource when it comes to getting information about this year’s campaigns and elections,” wrote Global Strategy Group and Public Opinion Strategies in a memo on the survey of 500 “persuadable voters.”

But is the information found online trustworthy? Yes, according to most voters — 62% of “persuadable voters” trust the information they find online. That’s on par with television news (67%) and print (62%). Why the confidence? 41% of those surveyed reported it’s “generally easy” to tell the difference between truthful and inaccurate news on the Internet, more so than it is on television. And why the heavy use of the Internet to get political news and fact-check candidates? 63% of respondents said it’s important to be able to access information on their own time, and 73% said the Internet helps them do that.

In aggregate, these numbers mean that persuadable voters are online — making candidates’ social media and online advertising strategies all the more necessary and important.

“Persuadable voters are online. They are engaged and ready to listen. And they are looking for answers to the questions that will help them make up their minds come November 6,” reads the study, which is embedded below.

Do you use the Internet to fact-check politicians? What are you favorite tools to do so? Share them in the comments.

Google Voters Research

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, sjlocke

Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/10/voters-fact-check-online/