July 12th, 2010

Financial Services Jumps to Number One Issue for Citizen Engagement in June

Posted by: Jeff Mascott and Ken Ward

Financial services climbed to the top of the list of citizen concerns expressed to Members of the U.S. House of Representatives last month, according to June’s Congressional Conversation Index (CCI). The CCI is a monthly survey, conducted by DC-based firms Adfero Group and Fireside 21, measuring the average number of constituents that contact their U.S. Representative on various issues.

The financial services category was the number one issue driving citizens to contact their representatives, replacing immigration in the top spot. Increased citizen concern likely resulted from the House’s recent approval of a financial reform bill that will overhaul the banking system and re-write U.S. financial rules.  Engagement on the issue has risen steadily since February, with the number of related contacts more than doubling in the past month.

The environment was another pressing issue for citizens in June, taking the number two spot on the CCI. Environmental concerns were likely top of mind because of the yet unresolved oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that occurred in late April.

Immigration shifted down from last month’s number one spot into third, followed by health and energy to round out the top five concerns.

The top ten issues on the June CCI were (1) Financial Services (2) Environment (3) Immigration (4) Health (5) Energy (6) Medicare (7) Campaigns/Elections (8) Tax (9) Foreign Affairs (10) Judiciary.

Click image for full June data and more information about the CCI

About the CCI

The Congressional Conversation Index (CCI)  is a joint effort by Fireside 21, a communications software provider to more than 100 Members of Congress, and Adfero Group, a public relations firm that runs issue advocacy and public awareness campaigns for corporations, associations and non-profits. For the first time ever, the CCI allows the public a glimpse into the issues driving citizen engagement with Congress. Each month, the CCI measures the average number of recorded emails, letters or phone calls that participating Members of the U.S. House of Representatives receive about various issues from the constituents they represent.