Perceptions of Citizen Advocacy on Capitol Hill Bradford Fitch President & CEO Congressional Management Foundation
Agenda Methodology of Research Findings How to Communicate with Congress Q&A
Methodology Surveys Conducted: December 2004 January 2005 August 2010 October 2010 August 2015 October 2015 Representative Balance by Chamber & Party Respondents: Chiefs of Staff Legislative Directors Legislative Assistants Communications Directors
Findings How to Communicate with Congress
Finding 1 The Internet has increased citizen participation and lawmaker accountability in our democratic system.
Email and the Internet Have... 86% 58% 14% 4% Made Members/Senators more accountable to constituents Disagree Made it easier for constituents to become involved in the public policy process Agree
Staff Say A tremendous amount of resources in our office go towards communicating with the people who contact our office. The increased engagement from people drowns out those constituents who take the time to write in about issues they know and care about.
Finding 2 The Internet has decreased citizen understanding of what goes on in Washington and contributed to a reduction in the quality of discourse between citizens and Congress.
Email and the Internet Have... 64% 16% 21% 50% 31% 45% Reduced the quality of constituents' messages to congressional offices Improve quality of the public debate on politics and legislation Agree Disagree Increased constituents' understanding of what goes on in Washington
Email and the Internet have increased constituents understanding of what goes on in Washington. 55% 41% 31% 2005 2010 2015
Staff Say About Email and the Internet: Increased rumors, myths, hoaxes Less educated about the actual legislative process About Social Media: immediate, real-time communication on breaking news or timely issues increased the amount of misinformation or lies that constituents see and believe
Finding 3 The most influential strategies to influence lawmakers depend on constituents.
Survey Question If your Member/Senator has not already arrived at a firm decision on an issue, how much influence might the following advocacy strategies directed to the Washington office have on his/her decision?
In-Person Issue Visits from Constituents Contact from Constituents' Reps Individualized Email Messages Individualized Postal Letters Local Editorial Referencing Issue Pending Comments During Telephone Town Hall Phone Calls Letter to the Editor Referencing Your Boss Visit From a Lobbyist 94% 94% 92% 88% 87% 86% 84% 83% 83% Form Email Messages Groups Social Media Platforms Your Office's Social Media Platforms Form Postal Letters Petitions Postcards A Lot of Positive Influence 56% 51% 50% 50% 49% 42% Some Positive Influence
In-Person Visit from a Constituent 99% 97% 94% 2005 2010 2015 Some/A lot of Influence
Staff Say Good social media strategies [are] no different than any other campaign. A better informed constituent can have more of a voice than just a mass messaging of vague opinions.
Finding 4 Congress is looking for meaningful information from constituents to shape their decision-making but infrequently get it.
Survey Question How helpful is it for messages from constituents to include the following?
Message Includes... Information about the impact the bill would have on the district 91% Constituent's reasons for supporting/opposing the bill or issue 90% Specific request or "ask" 88% Personal story related to the bill or issue 79% Helpful Very Helpful
Message Includes... Bill number and title 93% Reference to specific legislation 92% Topic or issue 87% Name of the organization generating a campaign 78% Helpful Very Helpful
Staff Say There are aggressive organizations that try to set up meetings for constituents who do a very bad job of interacting with staff on the Hill and hurt the cause.
Survey Question How frequently do messages from constituents include the following?
Specific request or "ask" 59% Constituents reason for supporting/opposing the bill or issue 50% Personal story related to the bill or issue 18% Information about the impact the bill would have on the district 9% Very Frequently/Frequently
Helpful Vs. Frequently
Specific request or "ask" 59% 88% Constituents reason for supporting/opposing the bill or issue 50% 90% Personal story related to the bill or issue 18% 79% Information about the impact the bill would have on the district 9% 91% Frequently Helpful
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Average Age of House Legislative Assistant: 27
Finding 5 Congress wants constituents to provide relevant data related to issues/questions/legislation it is considering.
Survey Question In thinking about constituents and the groups that represent them (e.g., associations, nonprofits, companies), what should they do more or less of to build better relationships with your office and your Member/Senator?
Should Do More Of Materials showing impact on district or state Get to know the Legislative Assistant Provide materials in advance of meetings 79% 76% 85% Get to know the District/State Director Constituent meetings in the district/state 62% 59% Constituent meetings in Washington 42% Get to know the Scheduler Get to know the Chief of Staff Provide videos of constituents Create voting record scorecard 25% 23% 22% 15%
Staff Say Look for collaboration and tell us why. Balance between initial correspondence and follow-up correspondence.
Final Staff Word We believe that communications are important because they show how many of our constituents listen to specific groups If we get hundreds of emails in support of legislation, it lets us know that hundreds of our constituents care about the issue and take the time to read and respond to communications from groups working on that issue.
We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate. - Thomas Jefferson
CongressFoundation.org bfitch@congressfoundation.org