"The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today released the first study of congressional staff views of social media, and how it is being used by Congressional Offices. #SocialCongress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill shows that most Members of Congress have thoroughly integrated social media into their communications operations, and are using new media tools to gauge public opinion, communicate with constituents, and reach new people.
Among
the key findings:
· Nearly
two-thirds (64%) of the senior managers and social media managers surveyed think
Facebook is a somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents’
views and opinions, 42% say Twitter is somewhat or very important, and 34% say
YouTube is a somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents’
views and opinions.
· Nearly
three-quarters (74%) of the senior managers and social media managers we
surveyed think Facebook is somewhat or very important for communicating their
Members’ views. YouTube is viewed by nearly three-quarters of staffers surveyed
(72%) as somewhat or very important for communicating their Members’ views.
More than half (51%) of the staffers surveyed say Twitter is a somewhat or very
important vehicle for their Members’ communications.
· A strong
majority of staffers (72%) believe that social media allows their Members to
reach people they had previously not communicated with. A majority of the
staffers (55%) feel social media offers their offices more benefits than
risks.
The report is
part of CMF’s initiative, the Partnership for a
More Perfect Union. The Partnership seeks to enrich the
relationship between citizens and Congress through education, building trust,
and providing innovative yet pragmatic tools to facilitate purposeful two-way
communication.
If you are
interested in more information on the Partnership, and how you can use
this research to enhance your advocacy efforts, please contact me at
202-546-0100, or bfitch@CongressFoundation.org."
