05/09/2019

Public Affairs Council Research Finds High Trust in Associations

Many think trade associations are trusted sources of political information

A new report from the Public Affairs Council and Morning Consult, "Surround Sound," shows that trust in associations is high. The report, which surveyed nearly 200 congressional staffers and federal employees, found that 80 percent of the respondents think trade associations are trusted sources of political information.

However, associations do not top the chart of most trusted sources by staffers—those tend to be official government sources, including the Government Accountability Office (GAO) (90 percent), the Congressional Research Service (CRS) (88 percent) and federal agencies (86 percent). The value of in-person meetings with CEOs was also highlighted.

The report found that 83 percent of congressional staffers said that their boss would likely meet with a CEO from their district or state when that executive comes to Capitol Hill.

For more about the study, read the Associations Now story, “Associations, Think Tanks Have Leg Up in Advocacy Game.”

This article was provided to OSAE by the Power of A and ASAE's Inroads.