David Lazer, Director of the Program on Networked Governance and IQSS Faculty Affiliate, is the lead author of a recent study on the effectiveness of Internet town hall meetings.  In the report, entitled Online Town Hall Meeting: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century, the authors conclude that town hall meetings of this type positively affect constituents’ views of their respective Congress member as well as their likelihood to become politically involved.  The authors reached this conclusion by choosing participants at random and then surveying them a number of times over the course of several months, thereby tracking changes in behavior and engagement.  The study found that these Internet town hall meetings were in fact very popular, capable of attracting people from a variety of backgrounds.  Ninety-six percent of participants said they would like to participate in similar events in the future.  Moreover, these Internet town hall meetings allowed for high quality discussions and were effective regardless of group size.

This study was conducted through the Congressional Management Foundation in partnership with several other academic groups.  For further information, please see www.cmfweb.org and the full report.