Input from Whom? Public Reactions to Consultation Measures

Most legislation neither affects nor interests citizens equally. But should this variation in interest and affectedness impact who gets to influence policy reforms? This article examines US public opinion on this issue using a national survey experiment varying both the policy outcome (a bill’s pass...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Political studies 2022-05, Vol.70 (2), p.281-303
Main Author: Kevins, Anthony
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceptance
Constituents
Decision making
Efficacy
Legislation
Polls & surveys
Public opinion
Reforms
Responsiveness
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Summary:Most legislation neither affects nor interests citizens equally. But should this variation in interest and affectedness impact who gets to influence policy reforms? This article examines US public opinion on this issue using a national survey experiment varying both the policy outcome (a bill’s passage/failure) and the type of constituency input granted by elected representatives (none/constituency surveys/targeting interested constituents/targeting affected constituents). It then compares reactions across treatment groups, examining the impact of outcome favourability as well as external and internal political efficacy. Results suggest that granting constituents explicit policy influence consistently affected perceived responsiveness in the expected manner, but that the different consultation procedures had more varied effects on decision acceptance. Furthermore, where the procedures impacted decision acceptance, they pushed the reactions of both the pleased and the displeased towards more muted responses. Finally, similar ‘cushion effects’ were present when external and internal political efficacy were incorporated into the analysis.
ISSN:0032-3217
1467-9248
DOI:10.1177/0032321720956327