Special Interest
Groups
Influences in American Politics
What is a special interest
group?
 Special interest groups are groups that
are only interested in one or two
particular interests.
 Their goal is to influence government
officials into promoting and/ or voting for
their particular political interests.
What is the difference between
a Special Interest and a Political
Party?
 #1 – The main goal
of a political party is
have people elected
to political positions
to represent the
interests of the party,
while the interest
group has no political
desires.
And . . .
 #2 – Most political
parties have a wide
range of political
views while interest
groups concentrate
on only a few issues.
Anything else . . .
 Most interest groups are
regionalized and local,
while political parties
tend to be on a national
level.
 As media outlets have
grown over the years, so
has the nationalization of
many of these groups.
What is the purpose of a
special interest group?
 Interest groups help to “bridge the gap”
between citizens of an area and the local,
state, and federal politicians that
represent that area.
 In other words, they attempt to convince
politicians how to vote.
How do they influence the
government?
 #1 - Number of supporters
in the special interest
group.
 #2 - Amount of wealth the
special interest group has.
 How “interested”
Americans become in their
interests. This is done
through organization and
media.
How Do You Get Involved
in an Interest Group?
 Have an interest in
what the group is
promoting.
 Join the group
(college campuses
are big recruiting
grounds for SIG’s)
Some Interest Groups in
America Today
 NRA – National Rifle
Association
 WWF – World
Wildlife Fund
 SADD – Students
Against Destructive
Decisions
 NEA – National
Education
Association
 FAIR – Federation
for American
Immigration Reform
 Americans for Tax
Reform