Burson-Marsteller - Congressional Use of Twitter 2010

B U R S O N - M A R S T E L L E R E V I D E N C E - B A S E D C O M M U N I C A T I O N S

ANALYSIS OF TWITTER ADOPTION BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

How the House and Senate are Using Twitter to Connect with Constituents

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Overview and Methodology

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The emergence of social media during the 2008

presidential election fundamentally changed how

politicians communicate with and mobilize

constituents. On election day, Barack Obama’s

Twitter account had 118,107 followers -- an

enormous number compared to John McCain’s

4,942 followers.

Since then, President Obama’s Twitter following has

swelled to about 5 million, and a growing number

of representatives and senators have joined the

Twittersphere, demonstrating their social media

competency and willingness to open the lines of

communication with their constituents. Twitter is

being used for direct communication to the general

public (as demonstrated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s

Tweet at the right).

This study examines the congressional presence on

Twitter leading up to the 2010 midterm elections.

Twitter and Congress

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• Burson-Marsteller examined congressional Twitter accounts for all 533 current representatives and senators. Each Twitter account was categorized as either “campaign” or “congressional office.”

‐ Twitter profiles contain website addresses. Those website addresses that linked the Twitter account to official congressional websites were categorized as “congressional office Twitter accounts” and those that linked to campaign websites were categorized as “campaign Twitter accounts.” (See next slides for enhanced definition.)

‐ Data in this report is broken out by Democrats and Republicans. The data from the Twitter accounts of Independents are counted in the total results, but have not been broken out due to small sample size.

• Data was collected from June—July 2010. Monthly data was collected based on tweets from June 2010.

Methodology

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Because of federal regulations, campaigning and/or fundraising cannot be done from within a congressional office. Therefore, congressional office Twitter accounts must be kept separate from campaign Twitter accounts.

Methodology: Definition of Campaign vs. Congressional Office Accounts

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Congressional Office Accounts Campaign Accounts

Twitter page links to official congressional site

Twitter page links to campaign site

Discuss congressional debates Discuss campaign activities

Discuss committees and hearings Discuss fundraising

Can be maintained by congressional office staff

Can be maintained by campaign staff


Methodology: Examples of Campaign vs. Congressional Office Accounts

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Campaign Account Congressional Office Account


Results

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Sample: Democrats Have the Majority in Congress

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• At the time of data collection, Democrats have the majority in both the House and Senate.


While Democrats Have the Majority, More Republicans are Active on Twitter

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62% 63% 62%55% 55% 56%

72% 73%68%

Percent of Senators and Representatives with Twitter Accounts

• About six out of 10 (62%) senators and representatives have Twitter accounts.

• While there are fewer Republicans in Congress, a larger percentage of them are using Twitter to communicate. 72% of Republicans have at least one Twitter account, compared with 55% of Democrats.

Both PartiesDemocratsRepublicans

House of Representatives

SenateTotal

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Seventeen Percent of Senators and Representatives Have Two Twitter Accounts

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Percent with Two Twitter Accounts

• Republicans are nearly twice as likely as Democrats to maintain two Twitter accounts (24% for Republicans vs. 13% for Democrats). Those who have two accounts use one for congressional office activities and one for campaigning.*

• More House members (20%) than senators (6%) have two Twitter accounts, probably because House members are running for re-election in November 2010, and therefore have the second account for their campaign.


* See Methodology for definitions of congressional office and campaign Twitter accounts.


SenateTotal


Almost One-Third of Congressional Representatives Have Campaign Twitter Accounts

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Percent of with Campaign Twitter Accounts

• Campaign Twitter accounts are used to broadcast messages on fundraising, special events and rallies, appearances by the candidate and responses to challenges and statements of opponents.

• Overall, 36% of Republicans maintain a campaign Twitter account, as compared with only 27% of Democrats. The differential between parties is greater in the Senate.

– Among members of Congress up for reelection, Republicans are more likely to have a campaign-focused account (39%) than Democrats (31%).



SenateTotal


Fifty-seven Percent of Republicans Have Congressional Office Twitter Accounts

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Percent with Congressional Office Accounts

• Overall, 47% of the members of Congress have congressional office Twitter accounts, which discuss legislative issues and the congressperson’s legislative activities. The proportion of congressional office accounts surpasses the 31% who have campaign accounts (prior slide).

• 57% of Republicans have Twitter accounts from their congressional offices, as compared to only 40% of Democrats.



SenateTotal


Campaign Twitter Accounts Have Thousands of Followers

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Average Number of Followers per

Account

Average Number of People Each Account

is Following

Average Number of Followers/Following per Campaign Account

• Campaign accounts have an average of 3,899 followers. This number of followers is double the number of accounts that the campaigners are following (1,732).

• On average, Republicans have both more followers (4,820) and people they are following (2,675) than Democrats do (2,972 followers and 690 they are following).



Congressional Office Accounts Have Fewer Followers than Campaign Accounts

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Average Number of Followers per

Account

Average Number of People Each Account

is Following

Average Number of Followers/Following per Congressional Office Account

• Congressional office accounts have an average of 2,471 followers. This number of followers is triple the number of accounts that the members of congress are following (806).

• Republicans, with an average of 3,269 followers, have almost twice the followers of Democrats (1,637).

* The congressional office accounts of outliers Senator John McCain (R – AZ) and Senator Claire McCaskill (D – MO) have been removed to avoid skewed results.

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Fifteen of the Top 20 Most Followed House of Representative Accounts are Republican

Note: Data collected 08/30/10


6,112

7,293

8,499

10,829

11,116

16,557

20,011

24,624

48,978

1,717,105

8,739

8,969

10,504

10,784

12,102

12,261

14,673

18,108

22,076

40,251

Susan Collins

David Vitter

John Thune

Arlen Specter

John Kerry

Harry Reid

Russ Feingold

Orrin Hatch

John Cornyn

Bill Nelson

Chris Dodd

Mark Warner

Tom Coburn

Al Franken

Chuck Grassley

Barbara Boxer

Scott Brown

Claire McCaskill

Jim DeMint

John McCain

Democrats

Republicans

The 20 Most Followed Senate Accounts

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Note: Data collected 08/30/10


At the time of data collection, Republican Senator McCain had 1,720,170 followers. The most followed Democrat was Senator Claire McCaskill with 38,512 followers.

Popular Congressional Twitter Accounts

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Vast Majority of Accounts are Active

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• Accounts are defined as “active” if they have been posted on within the last month (from the time data was collected).

• The active status of the Twitter accounts suggests that representatives understand the importance of maintaining an on-going conversation with followers.

Percent of Active Accounts



SenateTotal


Slightly Over One-Half of Accounts are Engaging Via Retweets

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Percent of Accounts with Retweets• 53% of accounts are retweeting, and are therefore reading and sharing content from other Twitter users. Retweeting signals that members of Congress are engaging the community dialogue on Twitter, and not just pushing out their own content.

• While 65% of House Republican Twitter accounts are retweeting, only 36% of House Democratic accounts have retweets, suggesting that the House Republicans may be more involved in the Twitter conversation.



SenateTotal


• Of members of Congress who retweet Twitter content, they average a modest 2.97 retweetsper month.

‐ Senate Democrats who are retweeting average 0.93 retweets each per month, as opposed to the Senate Republicans’ 5.11 retweets per month.

Republicans Retweet More Frequently Than Democrats

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Average Number of Retweets per Month per Account Retweeting



SenateTotal


Well Over One-Half of Accounts are Addressing Specific People on Twitter

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Percent of Congressional Accounts Using the @ Function

• 59% of congressional accounts are using the “@” function on Twitter, which signifies that they are talking about or reply to specific individuals on Twitter. Similar to retweets, the “@” function signifies that congressional representatives are participating in a dialogue and not just pushing out information on Twitter.



SenateTotal


• The number of tweets including the “@” symbol average 2.14 per month per congressperson who use the function. Those tweets with an “@” make up an average of 10% of their total monthly tweets.

The Use of “@” is Modest, Even Among Members of Congress Who Use It

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Average Number of @s per Month



SenateTotal


• Congress as a whole is using Twitter for real-time messaging. Congressional Tweeters can reach out to the public at any time without the more elaborate planning required for a news release or a press conference.

‐ Using Twitter strategically to deliver social media-appropriate messages can be an expedient approach for sharing information and encouraging real-time dialogue.

• Twitter provides the opportunity for politicians to engage in two-way communication with constituents. However, many politicians are still using their accounts to broadcast news rather than participate in conversations.

‐ If the Congressperson is not engaging with constituents by using retweets and “@” mentions, s/he is not taking advantage of the unique benefits of having a real conversation via social media.

• Congressional accounts that are written in the authentic voice of the representative are more effective in attracting followers and gaining influence.

‐ Regardless of who is actually posting the tweets, congressional accounts with many followers tend to speak from the genuine voice of the congressperson, thus taking this approach is most effective.

• Even if representatives do not have Twitter accounts, people are talking about them.

‐ Monitoring what is said about a Congressperson, and responding to those talking about the Congressperson with the “@” mention where appropriate, can be an effective way to participate in the Twitter conversation.

Key Insights

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• Many fake or imposter accounts turned up in the search for official accounts.

‐ Being aware of these accounts, and having them closed if necessary, is important to maintain a strong reputation in the social media space.

• Republicans have, on average, more followers and proportionally more accounts than the Democrats.

‐ Data from the 2008 Presidential election suggests that grassroots campaigning via the Internet, including social media, contributed to President Obama’s win. Future analyses will demonstrate how social media plays a role for Congressional seats in the November 2010 elections.

• Some members of Congress have “private” Twitter accounts, and constituents must make a request to follow the politician’s account.

‐ Maintaining a private account may signal a lack of openness to the public. This also is limits the member’s ability to engage with constituents via social media – and is counterintuitive in an environment which is predicated on interactivity.

Key Insights

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Dallas LawrenceManaging Director for Public Affairs

202.530.4615

[email protected]

www.twitter.com/dallaslawrence

Ashley WeldeDirector of Research

212.614.4924

[email protected]

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Contacts

http://www.twitter.com/dallaslawrence

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Burson-Marsteller - Congressional Use of Twitter 2010