Online Constituent Communication Boosts Approval Ratings

by Karl Kurtz

The Congressional Management Foundation reports that approval ratings for Members of Congress who have participated in online focus groups with their constituents on immigration policy issues have increased dramatically as a result of this communication.  Experimenting with 35-minute real-time sessions between members and small groups (15-35) of constituents, the foundation has documented not only higher approval scores and likelihood of voters to support the member for reelection but also that the member was able to convince 30 percent of the constituents who participated to change their minds.  "Most constituents are enthusiastic about the opportunity to have their voices heard and to better understand their Member’s position," says the foundation.

To be sure, a legislator would have to gather a lot of 15-35 person groups in order to make much of a dent in the public's belief that lawmakers don't care about what the average person thinks, but, like many such efforts at building public trust, that doesn't mean it's not worth doing.