.: STRATALYS :. Research & Consulting

Congressional Conference Survey

The Stratalys Congressional Conference Survey is a systematic measurement of public opinion among Capitol Hill opinion leaders.

Abraham Lincoln said, "Public opinion in this country is everything." While this is certainly true, some public opinion is more important than others. The Hill is a relatively small group of men and women who have a disproportionate voice and presence in the governance arena. Their views, opinions and assessments are a critical component of the operating environment inside the beltway which must be taken into consideration in legislative strategy and communication execution.

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The Congressional Conference is a representative, non-partisan public opinion survey conducted three times a year depending on the political and legislative calendars. It is powered by Stratalys Research & Consulting, an Internet-focused communications strategy firm based in Washington. The first Conference survey is conducted in January after the State of the Union address and final committee assignments. The second track is conducted in June and the final in late September. The number of Conference tracks and the schedule remain flexible and are driven by the strategic and tactical needs of our clients.

Research Program Objectives

Provide systematic measurement of the awareness and persuasiveness of communication programs and advocacy initiatives directed at the Congress.
Regularly gauge the perceived credibility of selected corporations, industry associations and ad hoc coalitions.
Create systematic intelligence on the prevailing "psychology" of the Congress.

Case Study in PR Impact An environmental organization wanted to generate pressure for clearing the construction backlog in the national parks system. Results from the Conference demonstrated strong bipartisan support among congressional staffers for increased funding, thereby producing the desired public relations effect.

Research Methodology

A total of one hundred interviews (N=100) are conducted among senior House and Senate staff and aides, representing the 538 congressional offices and senior committee staff. The data are carefully checked for representativeness based on partisanship and job seniority. Interviews are administered online with contacts enabled through a proprietary email database maintained by Stratalys.

Baseline/Tracking Questions

Case Study in Message Development A major alcohol producer leveraged the Conference to evaluate the persuasiveness of various messages related to advertising on TV. Staffers' opinions revealed a clear hierarchy of the most persuasive messages. The findings also indicated the strongest opposition message that would need to be addressed in order to make headway on the issue.

The survey has a standard set of baseline questions replicated in each survey. These questions include perceived bi-partisanship, self report on the major accomplishments and failures, constituent mood, and self-performance rating. These omnibus questions are shared with all subscribers.

A Conference subscriber may include proprietary questions, which are confidentially reported and delivered. Subscriptions also include a written analysis and interpretation of the results. The data are cross-tabulated and trended against relevant segments and audiences.

Budget

Closed-end and open-end question costs vary. Please contact Stratalys for more information. Pricing includes all study execution elements. All clients receive a statistical analysis of the findings and a comprehensive report on what the numbers mean, including an executive summary and a question-by-question analysis of the key variables.