figure 2. contacting politicians

This chart is based on data provided by the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet (IPDI) at the George Washington University. IPDI found that citizens who write or call their elected officials are far more involved than the general public in influencing public policy in other ways. They are about six times more likely than the general public to belong to a group trying to influence public policy or to attend a political rally, speech or protest. They are three times more likely to write an article for a magazine or newspaper, and four times more likely to work for a political party.