"The Future of Citizen Engagement: What Americans Want from Congress & How Members Can Build Trust" explores, through a series of national polls, how Members of Congress and staff can change their communications practices, habits, and objectives to build greater trust in the institution and convince their constituents that their views genuinely do matter.
The report addresses the following questions:
- What do Senators and Representatives need to do to convince constituents they are listening and care about their needs?
- What actions can Members of Congress take to strategically engage with constituents?
- What are some tips for congressional offices to build constituent trust?
The findings are based on telephone surveys of registered voters from 2016-2020 fielded by Nielsen Scarborough in collaboration with the Program for Public Consultation at University of Maryland.
The report was sponsored by a grant from the Democracy Fund.
Key Findings
- Voters who had contacted Congress were not satisfied with the response. When respondents who had contacted Congress were asked if they had received a response, the majority (64%) indicated they had, but about one-third (35%) said they had not. Whether or not they received a response, the majority felt their views were not considered by their Member of Congress.
- Voters value the relationship between Members of Congress and citizens, but feel Members do not share that sentiment. Most of the registered voters surveyed agreed—more than half strongly agreed—with the statement "Interactions between citizens and their representatives are very valuable to our democracy."
- Voters find it acceptable for Members of Congress to vote contrary to their views if they trust it was for valid reasons. When asked if respondents would find it acceptable for the Member to vote contrary to their views if they had confidence their views were taken into account, more than three-quarters (78%) said this would describe their feelings well.
- Members of Congress can convey accountability through a variety of methods, not just in face-to-face meetings. Almost all of the registered voters thought Members' explanations for their votes on important issues would help them be more accountable, and almost three-quarters of them thought it would help Senators' and Representatives' accountability "a lot." More than half said it would help "a lot" to be more accountable to constituents if Members would: make a formal commitment to engage constituents (58%); engage constituents in informed policy surveys (51%); and conduct in-person town halls to listen to constituents (51%).
- Voters want to know their views are heard and taken into account. The most valuable content, however—with 59% saying it would be very valuable—was simply confirmation that their views were heard, communicated to the Member, and taken into account. Voters want substance, but above all they want to know their voices matter.
- Voters prefer in-person town hall meetings but still value remote town halls for listening to constituents. About two-thirds of the respondents agreed that telephone town halls are good ways for Members of Congress to: hear from their constituents; explain their actions in Washington, D.C.; and communicate their policy positions to constituents.
