DEMOCRATIC INNOVATIONS WORKSHOP
Abstract: What makes advocacy campaigns effective in terms of getting policymakers to take action in response? Advocacy campaigns seek to change policymakers’ attitudes in favor of the campaign topic or proposed policy solution. This study measures such attitude change through pre and post surveys of state legislators in 6 states (Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Washington) around advocacy campaigns planned by cycling organizations in these 6 states in Spring 2023. Additionally, the study assesses two different advocacy strategies: providing stories of personal impact (narratives) or providing statistics and factual information (facts) to motivate legislator attention to biking and active transportation topics. Finally, through a survey of advocacy group members who participate in the campaign, the study will gather evidence on advocates’ preferences for narratives versus facts, willingness to communicate via email versus phone, and satisfaction with government and feelings of political self-efficacy as a result of legislator responsiveness.’
Kaylyn Jackson Schiff is a Postdoctoral Associate with the Democratic Innovations program in the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. She is also on leave for the 2022-2023 academic year from her position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at Purdue University. Kaylyn studies American politics and policy, with a focus on quantitative and experimental methods. In particular, her research addresses how citizens share information with government and examines the drivers of policymaker and bureaucrat responsiveness to citizen input. Kaylyn holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Political Science from Emory University and completed a B.A. in Public Policy from Princeton University and an M.Ed. from Fordham University./
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