Burson-Marsteller investigated the Twitter accounts of all 533 current representatives and senators. Data was collected by Burson-Marsteller’s Global Research Team from June—July 2010 based on tweets from June 2010.

1. ANALYSIS OF TWITTER ADOPTION BY
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
How the House and Senate are Using Twitter
to Connect with Constituents
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2. Overview and Methodology
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3. Twitter and Congress
The emergence of social media during the 2008
presidential election fundamentally changed how
politicians communicate with and mobilize
constituents. On election day, Barack Obama’s
Twitter account had 118,107 followers -- an
enormous number compared to John McCain’s
4,942 followers.
Since then, President Obama’s Twitter following has
swelled to about 5 million, and a growing number
of representatives and senators have joined the
Twittersphere, demonstrating their social media
competency and willingness to open the lines of
communication with their constituents. Twitter is
being used for direct communication to the general
public (as demonstrated by Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s
Tweet at the right).
This study examines the congressional presence on
Twitter leading up to the 2010 midterm elections.
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4. Methodology
• Burson-Marsteller examined congressional Twitter accounts for all 533
current representatives and senators. Each Twitter account was
categorized as either “campaign” or “congressional office.”
‐ Twitter profiles contain website addresses. Those website addresses that linked
the Twitter account to official congressional websites were categorized as
“congressional office Twitter accounts” and those that linked to campaign
websites were categorized as “campaign Twitter accounts.” (See next slides for
enhanced definition.)
‐ Data in this report is broken out by Democrats and Republicans. The data from
the Twitter accounts of Independents are counted in the total results, but have
not been broken out due to small sample size.
• Data was collected from June—July 2010. Monthly data was collected
based on tweets from June 2010.
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5. Methodology: Definition of Campaign vs. Congressional Office Accounts
Because of federal regulations, campaigning and/or fundraising cannot be done from
within a congressional office. Therefore, congressional office Twitter accounts must
be kept separate from campaign Twitter accounts.
Congressional Office Accounts Campaign Accounts
Twitter page links to official Twitter page links to campaign site
congressional site
Discuss congressional debates Discuss campaign activities
Discuss committees and hearings Discuss fundraising
Can be maintained by congressional Can be maintained by campaign staff
office staff
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6. Methodology: Examples of Campaign vs. Congressional Office Accounts
Campaign Account Congressional
Office Account
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7. Results
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8. Sample: Democrats Have the Majority in Congress
• At the time of data collection, Democrats have the majority in both the House
and Senate.
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9. While Democrats Have the Majority, More Republicans are Active on Twitter
• About six out of 10 (62%) senators and representatives have Twitter accounts.
• While there are fewer Republicans in Congress, a larger percentage of them are using Twitter to
communicate. 72% of Republicans have at least one Twitter account, compared with 55% of
Democrats.
Percent of Senators and
Representatives with Twitter Accounts
72% 73%
68%
62% 63% 62%
55% 55% 56%
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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10. Seventeen Percent of Senators and Representatives Have Two Twitter Accounts
• Republicans are nearly twice as likely as Democrats to maintain two Twitter accounts (24% for
Republicans vs. 13% for Democrats). Those who have two accounts use one for congressional
office activities and one for campaigning.*
• More House members (20%) than senators (6%) have two Twitter accounts, probably because
House members are running for re-election in November 2010, and therefore have the second
account for their campaign.
Percent with Two Twitter Accounts
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
* See Methodology for definitions of congressional office and campaign Twitter accounts.
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11. Almost One-Third of Congressional Representatives Have Campaign Twitter Accounts
• Campaign Twitter accounts are used to broadcast messages on fundraising, special events
and rallies, appearances by the candidate and responses to challenges and statements of
opponents.
• Overall, 36% of Republicans maintain a campaign Twitter account, as compared with only
27% of Democrats. The differential between parties is greater in the Senate.
– Among members of Congress up for reelection, Republicans are more likely to have a
campaign-focused account (39%) than Democrats (31%).
Percent of with Campaign Twitter Accounts
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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12. Fifty-seven Percent of Republicans Have Congressional Office Twitter Accounts
• Overall, 47% of the members of Congress have congressional office Twitter accounts, which
discuss legislative issues and the congressperson’s legislative activities. The proportion of
congressional office accounts surpasses the 31% who have campaign accounts (prior slide).
• 57% of Republicans have Twitter accounts from their congressional offices, as compared to
only 40% of Democrats.
Percent with Congressional Office Accounts
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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13. Campaign Twitter Accounts Have Thousands of Followers
• Campaign accounts have an average of 3,899 followers. This number of followers is double
the number of accounts that the campaigners are following (1,732).
• On average, Republicans have both more followers (4,820) and people they are following
(2,675) than Democrats do (2,972 followers and 690 they are following).
Average Number of Followers/Following per Campaign Account
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Average Number Average Number of
of Followers per People Each Account
Account is Following
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14. Congressional Office Accounts Have Fewer Followers than Campaign Accounts
• Congressional office accounts have an average of 2,471 followers. This number of followers is
triple the number of accounts that the members of congress are following (806).
• Republicans, with an average of 3,269 followers, have almost twice the followers of Democrats
(1,637).
Average Number of Followers/Following per Congressional Office Account
Average Number Average Number of
of Followers per People Each Account
Account is Following
* The congressional office accounts of outliers Senator John McCain (R – AZ) and Senator Claire McCaskill (D – MO) have been removed to avoid
skewed results.
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15. Fifteen of the Top 20 Most Followed House of Representative Accounts are Republican
Note: Data collected 08/30/10
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16. The 20 Most Followed Senate Accounts
John McCain 1,717,105
Jim DeMint 48,978
Claire McCaskill 40,251
Scott Brown 24,624
Barbara Boxer 22,076
Chuck Grassley 20,011
Democrats
Al Franken 18,108
Republicans
Tom Coburn 16,557
Mark Warner 14,673
Chris Dodd 12,261
Bill Nelson 12,102
John Cornyn 11,116
Orrin Hatch 10,829
Russ Feingold 10,784
Harry Reid 10,504
John Kerry 8,969
Arlen Specter 8,739
John Thune 8,499
David Vitter 7,293
Susan Collins 6,112
Note: Data collected 08/30/10
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17. Popular Congressional Twitter Accounts
At the time of data collection, Republican Senator McCain had 1,720,170 followers. The most
followed Democrat was Senator Claire McCaskill with 38,512 followers.
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18. Vast Majority of Accounts are Active
• Accounts are defined as “active” if they have been posted on within the last month (from the
time data was collected).
• The active status of the Twitter accounts suggests that representatives understand the
importance of maintaining an on-going conversation with followers.
Percent of Active Accounts
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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19. Slightly Over One-Half of Accounts are Engaging Via Retweets
• 53% of accounts are retweeting, and Percent of Accounts with Retweets
are therefore reading and sharing
content from other Twitter users.
Retweeting signals that members of
Congress are engaging the
community dialogue on Twitter, and
not just pushing out their own
content.
• While 65% of House Republican
Total House of Senate
Twitter accounts are retweeting, only Representatives
36% of House Democratic accounts
have retweets, suggesting that the
Both Parties
House Republicans may be more Democrats
involved in the Twitter conversation. Republicans
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20. Republicans Retweet More Frequently Than Democrats
• Of members of Congress who retweet Twitter content, they average a modest 2.97 retweets
per month.
‐ Senate Democrats who are retweeting average 0.93 retweets each per month, as opposed
to the Senate Republicans’ 5.11 retweets per month.
Average Number of Retweets per Month per
Account Retweeting
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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21. Well Over One-Half of Accounts are Addressing Specific People on Twitter
• 59% of congressional accounts are using the “@” function on Twitter, which signifies that they
are talking about or reply to specific individuals on Twitter. Similar to retweets, the “@”
function signifies that congressional representatives are participating in a dialogue and not
just pushing out information on Twitter.
Percent of Congressional Accounts
Using the @ Function
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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22. The Use of “@” is Modest, Even Among Members of Congress Who Use It
• The number of tweets including the “@” symbol average 2.14 per month per congressperson
who use the function. Those tweets with an “@” make up an average of 10% of their total
monthly tweets.
Average Number of @s per Month
Both Parties
Democrats
Republicans
Total House of Senate
Representatives
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23. Key Insights
• Congress as a whole is using Twitter for real-time messaging. Congressional Tweeters can reach
out to the public at any time without the more elaborate planning required for a news release or
a press conference.
‐ Using Twitter strategically to deliver social media-appropriate messages can be an expedient approach for
sharing information and encouraging real-time dialogue.
• Twitter provides the opportunity for politicians to engage in two-way communication with
constituents. However, many politicians are still using their accounts to broadcast news rather
than participate in conversations.
‐ If the Congressperson is not engaging with constituents by using retweets and “@” mentions, s/he is not
taking advantage of the unique benefits of having a real conversation via social media.
• Congressional accounts that are written in the authentic voice of the representative are more
effective in attracting followers and gaining influence.
‐ Regardless of who is actually posting the tweets, congressional accounts with many followers tend to speak
from the genuine voice of the congressperson, thus taking this approach is most effective.
• Even if representatives do not have Twitter accounts, people are talking about them.
‐ Monitoring what is said about a Congressperson, and responding to those talking about the Congressperson
with the “@” mention where appropriate, can be an effective way to participate in the Twitter conversation.
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24. Key Insights
• Many fake or imposter accounts turned up in the search for official accounts.
‐ Being aware of these accounts, and having them closed if necessary, is important to maintain a
strong reputation in the social media space.
• Republicans have, on average, more followers and proportionally more accounts than the
Democrats.
‐ Data from the 2008 Presidential election suggests that grassroots campaigning via the Internet,
including social media, contributed to President Obama’s win. Future analyses will demonstrate how
social media plays a role for Congressional seats in the November 2010 elections.
• Some members of Congress have “private” Twitter accounts, and constituents must make a
request to follow the politician’s account.
‐ Maintaining a private account may signal a lack of openness to the public. This also is limits the
member’s ability to engage with constituents via social media – and is counterintuitive in an
environment which is predicated on interactivity.
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25. Contacts
Dallas Lawrence
Managing Director for Public Affairs
202.530.4615
Dallas.Lawrence@proofic.com
www.twitter.com/dallaslawrence
Ashley Welde
Director of Research
212.614.4924
ashley.welde@bm.com
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