Personal interaction with a member of Congress, even online, has a significant and positive impact on a constituent’s views of the official and their likelihood to become more politically engaged, according to a study by Kevin Esterling, associate professor of political science, the Congressional Management Foundation and researchers at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Northeastern University and Ohio State University.

The study, “Online Town Hall Meetings: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century,” was released in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 26. Researchers found that approval ratings for members of Congress who conduct online town hall meetings jumped 18 points. There were similar increases in trust and perceptions of personal qualities such as hardworking and accessible, Esterling said, and online meetings also increased constituents’ approval of the member’s position on the issue discussed.

Researchers conducted 21 online town hall meetings to determine whether the Internet offers opportunities to bring citizens closer to their representatives in Congress as part of a project funded by the National Science Foundation and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation. Citizens were selected at random by a research firm to assure a representative sample and then were assigned to a control group or to participate in the sessions. Each group was surveyed a number of times over the course of several months to determine changes in behavior and attitudes over time.

The study also found that:

• Online town hall meetings attracted a diverse audience, particularly from demographics not traditionally engaged in politics, and people frustrated with the political system.
• Nearly all participants – 96 percent – liked the online meetings and wanted to be included in similar events in the future.
• Participants were more likely to vote and were dramatically more likely to follow the election and to try to persuade other citizens how to vote.
• Online sessions increased the probability of voting for the congressional representative.

The report is available at www.cmfweb.org.