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Congressional Management Foundation Finds Members of Congress More Comfortable with Virtual Meetings, Expanded and Diversified Their Constituent Outreach Due to COVID-19
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congress has become more comfortable with technology and will likely use more innovative tools such as online town hall meetings to connect with constituents as a result of the coronavirus, according to a major new study from the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF). The Future of Citizen Engagement: Coronavirus, Congress, and Constituent Communications includes the results of the first survey of senior congressional staff conducted during the coronavirus outbreak in May and June 2020.
Congressional staff were surveyed about the impact of COVID-19 and remote work on constituent engagement. Asked if they agreed with the statement, "My Member/Senator is more open to using technology to engage with constituents than they used to be," 89 percent agreed, and 2 percent disagreed. More than half of the respondents (59 percent) said their offices were "having substantive interactions with more constituents," while 9 percent disagreed with that statement.
"Just as 9/11 and the anthrax attack accelerated technological trends already underway in Congress, such as the adoption of email, it appears that COVID-19 is rapidly pushing lawmakers and their staffs to master new citizen engagement tools," said Bradford Fitch, President & CEO of CMF, a nonpartisan nonprofit with a 43-year history of working with Congress.
Sixty-five percent of the respondents said their offices had done significantly more video conferences with constituents during COVID-19 compared to the months prior. Offices also conducted more telephone calls and remote town hall meetings—and significantly fewer in-person interactions. Sixty percent of staff expect to see an increase in the amount of time and resources their offices dedicate to "online/video town hall meetings" in the future, and 46 percent expect an increase toward telephone town hall meetings.
Follow-up interviews with survey respondents revealed specific methods of engagement incorporated as a direct result of COVID-19. For example, Rep. Mike Kelly's (R-PA) office kick-started a new texting platform that allows them to move more quickly and efficiently through constituent requests. Rep. Donna Shalala's (D-FL) office conducted town halls—both telephone and virtual—with much more frequency, initially hosting them every week, and joined by special guests such as an epidemiologist from the University of Miami, experts on small business loans, and local government officials. And Sen. Rick Scott's (R-FL) office compiled a COVID-specific website FAQ that his office updates regularly.
"While these are seemingly small changes in a modern workplace, they could have significant impact on how constituent engagement and legislative business are conducted in the future," the report concludes. "Though Congress is an institution often reluctant to change, COVID-19 has forced it to change rapidly, and in some respects, for the better. Ironically, these changes might just result in a Congress that creatively explores and adopts new ways to be responsive to their constituents and builds greater trust in our democratic institutions."
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