A STUDY OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND POLITICAL ADVOCACY:
How Social Media is Changing Grassroots Organizing Among U.S. Political Advocacy Groups
Social Media and Political Advocacy
During recent election cycles, social media has
become a powerful channel for political
outreach and coalition building. Many key
political advocacy groups are now active
players in social media and using various
platforms to connect with stakeholders. Social
media provides political advocacy groups with a
platform that widens their reach and can
immediately mobilize grassroots support.
This study examines how U.S. Political
Advocacy Groups are leveraging social media
channels.
Methodology
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Burson-Marsteller selected 34 U.S.-based political advocacy groups to evaluate how
these groups utilize social media to communicate, specifically Twitter, Facebook and
YouTube.
The sample breaks down as follows:
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14 conservative advocacy groups
15 liberal advocacy groups
5 neutral advocacy groups*
At the outset of our research process, we could not identify a definitive index or
compilation of political advocacy groups. Therefore, for the purposes of this study,
we selected 34 politically-influential groups that represent a range of political
viewpoints.
Data was collected in May-June 2010 based on the 34 advocacy groups’
communications from March 15 to April 30, 2010 (6 weeks).
Data was gathered from the advocacy groups’ social media accounts.
Data was collected by Burson-Marsteller’s Global Research Team.
*Note: Because of the small sample size, results for the 5 neutral groups is included in the overall results, but this data is not
broken out in the detailed analysis.)
Selected Advocacy Groups
Conservative:
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American Conservative Union

American Family Association (AFA)
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Americans for Tax Reform
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Business Roundtable
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Christian Coalition of America
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Family Research Council

Federation for American Immigration Reform
(FAIR)
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Focus on the Family
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Freedom Works
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National Federation of Independent Business
(NFIB)
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National Rifle Association (NRA)
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National Right to Life
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National Taxpayers Union
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US Chamber of Commerce
Neutral:
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AARP

American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
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Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
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Common Cause
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Concord Coalition
Liberal:
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American Association of People with Disabilities (AADP)
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American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
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Coalition to Stop Gun Violence
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Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
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League of Conservation Voters
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MoveOn

NARAL Pro-Choice America (National Abortion and
Reproductive Rights Action League)

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP)

National Committee For An Effective Congress (NCEC)
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National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
(NCPSSM)
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National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
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National Organization for Women (NOW)
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National Urban League (NUL)
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People for the American Way
Overwhelming Majority Use At Least One Social Media Platform
Thirty-three out of the 34 political advocacy groups examined use at least one social
media platform, including either a Facebook page, Twitter account or YouTube
channel.
Almost all Groups Are Using Multiple Platforms Simultaneously
Ninety-one percent of the political advocacy groups that use social media use Twitter,
Facebook and YouTube as a means of outreach.
* No group used only 1 out of 3 platforms.
Interest Groups Use Social Media to Voice Opinions on Legislation
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All of the political advocacy groups with Facebook pages and Twitter accounts use these social
media platforms to share their views and news about specific federal legislation or regulation.
Advocacy groups use Twitter more than Facebook to relay legislative and regulation messages.
Conservative advocacy groups were more active in discussing legislation and regulation on
Twitter and Facebook than Liberal groups in the six weeks studied (from March 15-April 30).
Examples of Tweets/Posts Concerning Legislation
Groups Encourage Direct Outreach to Politicians
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Sixty-one percent of political advocacy groups on Twitter and 56 percent on Facebook use
social media to encourage stakeholders to reach out to Congress and other politicians.
Ninety-five percent of direct outreach posts on Twitter and 89 percent on Facebook
provided phone numbers, instructions or easy to fill out forms to contact politicians.
Liberal advocacy groups were more active than Conservative groups in encouraging
followers to reach out to Congress or politicians.
Examples of Tweets/Posts Reaching Out to Government
*** Easy instruction forms like the one to the
right make it easy for the public to reach out – in
this example, the letter is already written, they
just have to fill out their information and sign!
YouTube Channels Also Keep People Informed
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The average number of videos per YouTube channel was 107. In total, these political
advocacy groups have uploaded 3,432 videos to YouTube.
Many of the YouTube channels had videos about specific legislation.
*Data for YouTube is cumulative over the lifetime of the channel and is not restricted
to the March 15- April 30, 2010 timeframe.
Stakeholders Are Seeking Out and Connecting With Groups
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The average number of followers, fans, and subscribers on Twitter (4,880 followers),
Facebook (32,588 fans) and YouTube (777 subscribers) suggests there is significant public
interest in connecting with advocacy groups.
The number of Facebook fans is overwhelmingly higher than the number of Twitter
followers and YouTube subscribers for all groups. The groups with the most fans were the
National Rifle Association, Freedom Works, The Human Rights Campaign and MoveOn.
The Two-Way Street: Relationship Building on Twitter
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Political advocacy groups on Twitter are not just using social media as a platform for
lobbying efforts.
The average account follows over 2,000 other Twitter users. Conservative groups follow the
highest number with an average number of accounts following of 3,354 versus 1,585 for
liberal groups.
The Two-Way Street: Interacting With Stakeholders on Twitter
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Seventy-six percent of advocacy groups are retweeting content from other users.
The Two-Way Street: Interacting With Stakeholders on Twitter
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On Twitter, 73 percent of political advocacy groups mentioned or directly responded to
others (by using the “@account” convention).
Liberal advocacy groups were more likely to mention or respond to others (93 percent)
than conservative groups (50 percent).
The Two-Way Street: Interacting With Stakeholders on Twitter
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“Stakeholders” were defined as individuals who have an interest in the actions of the
organization and can be affected by them. “Influencers” where defined as individuals
such as journalists, organizations or politicians who have the ability to influence public
opinion.
The percentages of advocacy groups that responded to stakeholders versus influencers
were consistent across the board, showing that advocacy groups care equally about
deepening their relationships with their stakeholders as well as influencers.
Examples of Groups Mentioning/Responding to Others
The Two-Way Street: Receiving Feedback from Stakeholders
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Sixty-nine percent of political advocacy groups with Facebook pages allow their fans to
post on their page.
Liberal groups were the more likely to allow posts (92 percent) than conservative
groups.
Fundraising is Not a Primary Purpose for Using Social Media
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Less than a third of the political advocacy groups surveyed (21 percent on Twitter and 18
percent on Facebook) use Twitter and Facebook to ask for fundraising support.
Observations About Social Media Content
Overall, the study saw a variety of content
published from political advocacy groups.
While this study focused on looking at
legislative, outreach and fundraising
content other messages included:
• Coalition building
• Articles of interest
• News or blog posts about the
organization
• Protests/ Gatherings
•Hot button litigation
•Candidate endorsements
Key Insights
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Many Advocacy Groups Are Using Social Media to Generate a Dialogue
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Overall 73% of advocacy groups (including 93% of liberal advocacy groups)
responded to or mentioned others in their Twitter posts.
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U.S. businesses are less engaged than advocacy groups, as only 43% of U.S.
companies in the Fortune Global 100 are responding to others via Twitter.
Advocacy groups who do are not generating a dialogue use Social Media
Platforms as a glorified RSS feed or newsletter. These groups lose the
enormous benefit of community engagement and stakeholder participation
that comes with direct interaction.
Social Media Allows for Communication/Mobilzation In (Near) Real Time
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Whether during a lengthy legislative debate on the congressional floor (such
as Healthcare Reform) or a public protest, advocacy groups are often using
social media to communicate and even mobilize their supporters in real-time.
Key Insights (continued)
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Facebook is Heavily Used to Rally Base Supporters and Build Community
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Twitter is Used for Disseminating Messages and Positions on Issues to
Influencers and Other Stakeholders
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Facebook pages tend to become a destination for an organizations’ most
devoted followers. The material and conversation posted to these pages is
usually highly supportive of the organization. The Facebook page often
becomes a virtual meeting place where supporters can cheerlead an
organization’s efforts and disparage its opponents.
Twitter appears to be used to broadcast an organization's positions and news.
Some groups have engaged with influencers (such as media and politicians)
directly on Twitter.
Both Facebook and Twitter are Leveraged to Encourage Outreach
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Beyond building community and disseminating information well over one-half
of Advocacy Groups – particularly liberal groups - provide phone and email
contact information to inspire calls-to-action by their followers.
Contacts
Dallas Lawrence
Managing Director for Digital Issue Advocacy & Public Affairs
202.530.4615
Dallas.Lawrence@proofic.com
www.twitter.com/dallaslawrence
Ashley Welde
Director of Strategy Development
212.614.4924
Ashley.Welde@bm.com