Nearly 100 Million Adult Americans Contacted Congress in the Last Five Years

Contact: Beverly Bell, 202-546-0100

WASHINGTON—Almost half of all voting-age Americans contacted a Member of Congress in the last five years – often at the urging of a third party – to support, oppose or learn more about issues of interest to them. However, the majority do not believe Congress is interested in what they have to say, according to a new report by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF).

The report, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement, is the companion to survey results released by CMF in 2005 detailing congressional staff views of the steadily increasing volumes of constituent mail.

“Our findings have profound implications for the way Members of Congress and the public communicate with each other going forward,” said Beverly Bell, executive director of CMF, a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded more than thirty years ago to promote a more effective Congress.

“We found the Internet has contributed to millions more people learning about, and joining in, policy debates that used to be conducted by those operating inside the Beltway. These people are politically aware and politically active, and communicating with them should be a priority for every Member of Congress,” she said.

“The constituent expectation for on-demand, online information can place a strain on many congressional offices already struggling with resource limitations and communications strategies designed for ‘old media,’” Bell noted.

CMF commissioned the polling firm of Zogby International to conduct a telephone survey of over 1000 adult Americans and an online survey from a panel of 9500 people to learn about their interactions with Congress and their corresponding expectations and perceptions. Political scientists Dr. Tom Holyoke of the California State University, Fresno and Dino Christenson from Ohio State University assisted with methodology and data analysis.

Key findings from the report include:

• Almost half of voting age Americans (44%) contacted a U.S. Senator or Representative in the past five years. This is a vast increase from the 18% reported in the last authoritative study done in 2004. (telephone survey)
• Americans who contacted Congress tended to be more politically active. They were more than twice as likely to have volunteered for or given money to a political campaign and four times more likely to have done the same for an advocacy campaign. (telephone survey)
• A plurality (43%) of Americans who had contacted Congress used the Internet as their means of communication, more than twice the percentage that had used postal mail or the telephone. (telephone survey)
• Sixty-two percent of Internet users who sent a message did not believe Members of Congress care what they have to say, and 46% were dissatisfied with the responses they received. (online survey)
• Interest groups played an important role in how people learned about and communicated with Congress. Among the Internet users who sent a message to Congress, 84% were asked to by a third party. (online survey)
• Among Internet users who sent a message to Congress, 74% believe advocacy campaigns are good for democracy. (online survey)

“The Internet has tremendous potential and power to enhance democratic dialogue. The challenge is for both Congress and the public to harness it effectively,” Bell concluded.

More information about CMF’s Communicating with Congress project and a full copy of Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement is available on the Congressional Management Foundation’s Web site at www.cmfweb.org.

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The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting a more effective Congress. CMF has pursued this mission for over 30 years by working internally with Member offices, committees, leadership, and institutional offices in the House and Senate to foster improved management practices through staff training, office consultations, publications on best practices, and technology research. Simply put, CMF advocates good government through good management. For more information, contact CMF at (202) 546-0100 or www.cmfweb.org.