Beekeeper Group · December 2025
Future ofAdvocacy
Survey Data Report
n ≈ 1,000 Registered Voters
National Sample
Party · Age · Region Cross-Tabs
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45% contacted by an advocacy org
76% of those took action
80% researched the issue after acting
Background & Exposure
The Advocacy Landscape
45%
of American voters have been directly contacted by an advocacy organization and asked to take action
76%
of those who received a direct ask actually took action — most people respond when asked clearly
Advocacy reach is broad — but conversion depends on how the ask is made, through what channel, and how personal it feels.
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Background & Exposure
How Voters Receive Advocacy Requests
Q: How did you receive the request to take action? (Select all that apply.)
Email 59% Text / SMS 51% Social media 45% In-person 43% Phone call 37% Email and text dominate delivery — but in-person and phone remain significant for certain audiences. Channel mix matters.
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Background & Exposure
How Voters Feel Receiving Advocacy Messages
Q: How do you generally feel when you receive a request to take action? (Select all that apply.)
Interested 40% Motivated 34% Curious 31% Skeptical 21% Annoyed 18% Overwhelmed 18% It depends 12% Neutral 7% The majority of voters feel interested or motivated — not annoyed. The right message to the right person at the right time works.
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Perceptions of Impact
Where Voters Feel Their Voice Matters Most
Q: At which level of government do you feel your individual actions matter most?
Community / Local 69% State 57% National 43% Local resonates strongest. Framing national issues with local stakes dramatically increases the sense that action matters.
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Perceptions of Impact
Impact, Efficacy & Civic Identity
Use the Party toggle above to explore demographic breakdowns.
72%
feel their actions make a difference
58%
believe elected officials respond to grassroots action
64%
see themselves as active civic participants
Civic identity is high across all groups — but belief in official responsiveness divides. Independents self-identify as most civically active.
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Perceptions of Impact
Most Likely to Act — by Issue Level
Q: On which issues are you most likely to take advocacy action?
Local / Community issues 70% State-level issues 64% National issues 39% Global issues 27% Local and state issues drive action. National framing may generate awareness but not activation — translate national goals into local stakes.
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Action & Behavior
Actions Voters Take After Being Asked
Q: Which of the following have you done after receiving an advocacy request? (Select all that apply.)
Contacted elected official 51% Signed online petition 48% Researched the issue further 44% Told friends / family 42% Shared on social media 39% Donated to a cause 31% Attended a rally or event 27% Contacting officials leads — but research and word-of-mouth are nearly as common. An ask triggers a chain of downstream engagement.
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Action & Behavior
Research After Taking Action
Advocacy sparks a journey — voters don’t just act, they investigate
researched the issue
Four in five voters who responded to an advocacy ask went on to fact-check, dig deeper, and explore the cause — turning a single contact into sustained engagement.
This holds true across the aisle — one of the few areas of near-universal agreement in the data.
78%
Democrats
82%
Republicans
79%
Independents
Post-action research is nearly universal — and consistent across party lines. Design for the journey, not just the conversion.
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Action & Behavior
Post-Action Research: What Voters Actually Do
Q: Which of the following did you do to research the issue after taking action? (Select all that apply.)
Google / search engine 43% Organization website 41% Asked friends / family 37% Social media 34% News article 33% Funding lookup / Charity Navigator 31% Reddit / online comments 29% Reviews 24% Wikipedia 22% AI tools (ChatGPT, etc.) 18% Your org's website is the second stop after Google. Make it the best second stop in the space: credible, clear, and conversion-ready.
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Outreach Effectiveness
Likelihood to Respond — by Outreach Type
Q: How likely are you to respond based on how you were contacted? (% Very + Somewhat Likely combined)
Personal ask from friend / peer 84% Email from org you know 73% Text from org you know 70% Social media post from org 61% Social media — influencer 55% Personal outreach converts at 84%. Email and text from known orgs remain highly effective. Influencer reach drives awareness, not action.
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Outreach Effectiveness
Follow-Up Expectations
Use the Party toggle above to explore demographic breakdowns.
78%
expect to hear back from the organization after they act
Dem 77%
GOP 74%
Ind 82%
62%
want follow-up communication — updates, next steps, or results
Dem 56%
GOP 61%
Ind 69%
Silence after an ask is a missed opportunity — and a broken expectation. Independents expect follow-up most; Democrats want it least.
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Membership & Sources of Asks
Organizational Involvement
Q: Which organizations are you a member of or affiliated with? (Select all that apply.)
No organization affiliation 36% Cause / Nonprofit org 34% Political party 29% Professional association 26% Labor union 18% Religious organization 16% 36% have no org affiliation — that's a large untapped audience. Cause-based orgs and political parties are the primary activation pipelines.
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Membership & Sources of Asks
Org-Driven Asks: Reach & Channels
54%
received an advocacy request from an organization (not a personal contact)
Dem 50%
GOP 46%
Ind 62%
Use Party toggle above to filter.
How organizations delivered the request
Email 57% Text / SMS 43% Social media 36% In-person 32% Phone call 28% At an event 25%
Independents are most likely to receive org outreach — and most likely to act on it. Email + text dominate org delivery channels.
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Motivations & Barriers
What Motivates Voters to Take Action
Q: What motivated you to take action? (Select all that apply.)
Directly affects me personally 31% Care deeply about the issue 29% Affects my community 24% Issue felt urgent 16% Felt hopeful it would work 14% It was easy / low effort 13% Trusted the organization 11% Anger / frustration 10% Personal relevance and genuine care — not urgency or ease — are the top motivators. Design for meaning, not just convenience.
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Motivations & Barriers
Barriers to Taking Action
Q: What has prevented you from taking advocacy action in the past? (Select all that apply.)
Privacy / data concerns 36% Don’t believe it matters 26% Don’t know enough about the issue 23% Process too complex / difficult 23% Don’t trust the organization 22% Don’t have time 22% Privacy leads barriers. Address data concerns directly — and design for simplicity and credibility. Friction is the enemy of action.
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Motivations & Barriers
What Makes a Call-to-Action Most Effective
Q: What elements make an advocacy call-to-action most compelling to you? (Select all that apply.)
Clear explanation of the issue 37% Data / facts supporting the cause 36% Proof the action had past impact 35% Short and simple ask 28% Local / community relevance 25% Real stories from real people 22% Specific instructions to follow 21% Social proof (others are acting) 16% Clarity, credibility, and proof of impact outrank brevity and social proof. Tell them what it is, why it matters, and that it actually works.
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Issue Priorities & Information
Top Issues Voters Are Most Likely to Act On
Q: On which of the following issues would you be most likely to take advocacy action? (Select all that apply.)
Cost of living / inflation 41% Healthcare costs 36% Jobs / employment 24% Housing costs / availability 21% Taxes 21% Healthcare quality / access 20% Public safety / crime 18% Education 17% Economic issues dominate across all demographics. Cost of living and healthcare costs are the highest-activation issue areas right now.
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Issue Priorities & Information
How Voters Stay Informed on Issues
Q: How do you typically stay informed about social and political issues? (Select all that apply.)
Email newsletter 33% TV / cable news 32% Social media 28% Word of mouth / conversation 23% Print / online newspaper 18% Websites / blogs 17% Podcasts 12% Radio 10% Email is the #1 information channel — barely ahead of TV. Social media is a strong third. Own your email list; it is your most reliable channel.
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Methodology
About This Survey
Sample
n ≈ 1,000 registered votersNationally representative sample
Field Dates
December 2025Online fielding
Research Firm
Wallin Opinion ResearchCommissioned by Beekeeper Group
Method
Online surveyDemographic quotas for age, gender, region, and party affiliation
Margin of Error
±3.1 percentage points95% confidence level for total sample
Confidentiality
Individual responses confidentialAll data reported in aggregate