How to Talk About Government

Introduction

Welcome to How to Talk About Government, a toolkit compendium of research and applications on how Americans think about government.

Beginning in 2004, the FrameWorks Institute initiated a series of integrated research projects designed to identify ways to communicate more effectively about government and its purpose. The ultimate objective of this work is, as the project sponsors put it, “to help renew the commitment by Americans to government’s essential role in achieving the common goals of our society.” Achieving this objective necessarily requires a deeper understanding of how Americans currently view government, why they hold the views they do, and the influences that shape those views. Only with such understanding can the negative stereotypes of government be effectively contested and alternative views of government’s fundamental public purposes advanced.

The goal of this work is not to supplant or substitute popular messages for needed remedies and proven policies. Rather, it is to translate those policies that social policy experts believe will improve our quality of life into ongoing communications that illuminate a positive role for government and build a broader constituency for that vision. The ultimate destination of this work is the wide array of groups and individuals who wish to elevate the importance of government with community stakeholders, voters and policymakers.

This toolkit was developed by the FrameWorks Institute. A related toolkit on the topic of Budgets and Taxes may also be of interest.

Message Memo and Message Brief

Applications

This section provides a variety of framing tools intended to help advocates understand and apply the research findings and recommendations on how to talk about government.

Key Framing Guides

Research

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