Lobbyists and Legislators: A Comparative State Study, 1966

This study includes data collected in February and March 1966 from registered lobbyists (Part 1) and legislators (Part 2) in the states of Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, and Utah. The lobbyists (Part 1) were asked about their backgrounds in politics and in the organizations they represented. The study ascertained the lobbyists' feelings about their profession and its role in the legislative process as well as specifics about the organization(s) by whom they were employed. In addition to details of their work as lobbyists -- contacts with legislatures, techniques used to persuade, and time spent with opposition lobbyists -- the study probed the respondents' opinions about the most powerful occupation groups and the reasons for their influential positions. The legislators (Part 2) were asked about their early interest in politics, their previously held government positions, and the legislative leadership positions held at the time of the interview. Questions centered on the legislators' opinions of lobbyists and contacts with them, their competence, tasks, means of communication, and the extent to which lobbyists used pressure and persuasive activities. Aggregate data descriptions of the legislators' districts are also included.