Methodology
The survey questions were adapted from the survey administered for Dr. Williamson’s report MPs Online: Connecting with Constituents (2009).1 The ParlAmericas survey was completed on September 25, 2014, at the 11th Plenary Assembly in Santiago, Chile.
The survey was structured around the following questions:
Which of the following technologies do you or your parliamentary office use to communicate with your constituents and how long have you been using them?
Of the technologies that you or your office have used, how would you rate them in terms of their ability to support how you communicate with your constituents (and them with you)?
Which of the following would improve the way that your parliamentary office uses digital technologies (select all that apply)?
How has the use of new technology affected the way you communicate with your constituents?
With regards to communication between you and your constituents, what are the advantages and disadvantages of new technologies, such as social networking, blogging, email, and audio?
1 This report describes the findings of a survey of 168 MPs from the UK and of
a subsequent focus group of MPs and parliamentary staff.
2