Congress Online Project: Capitol Hill Web Sites Graded -- 90 Percent Receive Grade of C, D or F

1/28/2002

From: Brad Fitch of the Congressional Management Foundation, 202-546-0100; Web site: http://www.congressonlineproject.org

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 -- The following was released today by the Congressional Management Foundation:

There is a "disconcerting digital divide within the Congress" between a small group of congressional offices hosting "good to excellent" Web sites that meet citizens' online needs and the vast majority hosting "fair to failing" sites, according to a report released today.

More specifically, the study determined that while 10 percent of congressional office Web sites received a grade of A or B, 90 percent received a grade of C, D, or F. The overall grade point average for all congressional offices was 1.67 or C-minus.

"If Congress and the nation are to enjoy the significant benefits of digital communication -- better informed citizens, improved communications between the elected and the electorate, greater accountability and trust in government, and increased operational efficiency -- congressional offices must bridge this digital divide within the Congress...and bridge it quickly," the report stated.

The study, written by the Congress Online Project, evaluated 605 Web sites in Congress -- all Member office, committee and leadership sites -- to determine which sites were the best and to assess how well Congress was using this new communications medium. This research is the first to combine a comprehensive analysis and grading of all congressional Web sites. The study awarded 15 sites with the Congress Online Gold Mouse Awards and 20 sites with Silver Mouse awards.

The report found that there were major differences among the best sites when broken out by chamber and party. House Republican offices won 79 percent of the award-winning sites in the House, while Senate Democratic offices won 73 percent of the awards in the Senate. House committee and House leadership Web sites also were judged to be far superior to Senate committee sites, earning eight of the ten committee awards and all four of the leadership site awards.

Overall, on a 4.0 grading scale, Senate Member office sites received an average GPA of 2.12 (C), while House Member sites received a GPA of 1.67 (C-minus). The average GPA's for Member offices by party and chamber were: Senate Democrats -- 2.61 (C-plus); Senate Republicans -- 2.10 (C); House Republicans -- 1.76 (C-minus); and House Democrats -- 1.58 (D-plus).

There are potentially serious consequences if Congress does not address this problem promptly, including the risk that Congress may greatly diminish its ability to communicate information online about Congress to the public. The study points out that a number of non-profit and for-profit organizations are now competing directly with Congress as the "sites of first choice for people interested in the activities of Congress." These sites are providing the public information on Congress they want but can't find on Hill Web sites.

The Web sites were graded using five criteria essential to good congressional Web sites: audience, content, interactivity, usability, and innovations. The 15 Congress Online Gold Mouse Award winners excelled in all five building blocks.

Web site traffic indicates that superior Capitol Hill Web sites are getting more visitors than weaker sites. One leadership site, GOP.gov, operated by the House Republican Conference, received 1.7 million "user sessions" in 2001 (a Web measurement for unique visits to the site). Average traffic to Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), another award-winning site, reached 2,500 user sessions in November 2001, surpassing the combined average number of constituents who contact the office through other means. The House of Representatives reported that House Web sites received more than 500 million "hits" in 2001.

In discussing this rapidly growing trend to seek information online, the study suggests, "If politicians have something to say, they will have to learn to say it effectively on the Internet or face the reality that their message will be muted."

Web sites that are "fair" to "failing," receiving grades of C, D and F, are making many of the same mistakes, according to the study, including:

-- Providing visitors information that promotes the Senator or Representative rather than providing visitors the information they seek; -- failing to keep the content updated; -- providing superfluous information and features that are of little interest to the public; -- failing to write for the Web; -- creating slow loading Web site filled with extensive graphics and photos that make the site difficult to use.

The report is designed to both critique current Web site practices and provide a blueprint for congressional offices that wish to improve their Web sites. The report was written by the Congress Online Project, a joint research project undertaken by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) and The George Washington University, funded by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The research included multiple reviews of the sites by the project team and an independent panel, interviews with congressional staff, and available studies on best practices in Web sites. CMF (www.cmfweb.org) is a non-profit, non-partisan education organization devoted to promoting a more effective Congress. The George Washington University, through its Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM), is conducting a series of studies on the impact of Internet and electronic communications on American democracy.

The Pew Charitable Trusts (www.pewtrusts.com) support non-profit activities in the areas of culture, education, the environment, health and human services, public policy and religion. Based in Philadelphia, the Trusts make strategic investments to help organizations and citizens develop practical solutions to difficult problems. In 2001, with approximately $4.3 billion in assets, the Trusts committed more than $230 million to 175 non-profit organizations.

The complete list of the Congress Online Gold and Silver Mouse Award winners is available in the report: www.congressonlineproject.org/webstudy2002.html.