From Awareness to Persuasion

Think of petitions and email campaigns as a bombardment. Once Parliament begins scrutinising legislation, it is time to send in the troops.

For more than two years, veterans and supporters have worked hard to ensure that Parliament could not ignore the issue of legacy investigations.

That effort has achieved something significant.

More than 200,000 people signed the official parliamentary petition, triggering a Westminster Hall debate. Veterans’ organisations have briefed ministers, met Members of Parliament and kept the issue firmly on the political agenda.

The question now is different.

Parliament is no longer deciding whether to discuss the issue. It is considering legislation.

That changes the nature of engagement.

A new Salus Archive Briefing Note examines what contemporary research says about political persuasion once legislation reaches Parliament. Drawing on political science, signalling theory and parliamentary studies, it concludes that different forms of participation serve different purposes.

Mass campaigns, petitions and coordinated communications are effective at demonstrating public concern and putting an issue on the agenda. Once legislation is under parliamentary scrutiny, however, research suggests that personalised engagement between constituents and their own MPs becomes a more persuasive means of influencing legislative judgement.

The briefing also examines the literature on slacktivism and clicktivism. It finds that these methods are not ineffective, as is sometimes claimed. Rather, they are particularly valuable during the awareness stage of a campaign. During the persuasion stage, MPs tend to attach greater weight to communications that demonstrate personal commitment, local relevance and a willingness to engage directly.

The evidence reviewed suggests that the veterans’ campaign has now entered precisely that persuasion phase. Parliament already knows the issue exists. The challenge is now to persuade individual Members during legislative scrutiny and amendment.

For veterans considering how best to contribute at this stage, the briefing provides a concise summary of the available evidence.

Read the briefing

Salus Briefing Note SBN00011

From Awareness to Persuasion: What the Evidence Says About Parliamentary Engagement