Everyone has had someone hand them a clipboard and ask them to sign a petition to support a cause at some point. Even if you’ve never physically signed a petition, you’ve probably been sent a link and asked to sign or donate to support a cause or speak out on an issue. Just how effective are petitions at making real change, though? Here’s a quick look at the real effectiveness of petitions.
Pros
There’s power in numbers. Almost nobody can turn away from a petition with 10,000 signatures without thinking twice. If the petition is backed with lots of support, there’s a good chance it could at the very least generate some buzz and attention. Then, there’s a possibility the petition will be considered and taken seriously since it has so much support.
Petitions bring awareness to issues. Even if the petition itself does not lead to a change being made, it still brings awareness to the cause it’s backing or the issue it’s highlighting. That awareness will make people talk, and it may lead to change further down the road.
Petitions are easy to organize. As mentioned before, all you really need to start a petition is a piece of paper, a pen, and a clipboard. There is almost no start-up cost, which means there’s no financial barrier to starting a petition and potentially bringing about change. These days, you can even set up a petition online with just a few clicks that can reach people all over the world.
Anyone can make a petition. Truly anyone can create a petition about any issue or cause they’re involved with and start getting signatures whenever they want. Like was mentioned earlier, there are no real financial or resources barriers related to starting a petition. In this way, petitions are effective because they are low-cost and accessible to almost everyone.
Petitions can be used to raise funds. If you ask someone to sign a petition, that’s a natural gateway into asking them to donate to your cause. Petitions can be great tools to generate donations, and money talks. A petition backed by donations can be highly effective.
Cons
Anyone can make a petition. That’s a good thing because it means anyone can spread awareness and have their voice heard. It’s a bad thing because anyone who starts a petition might be lost in the noise of all the other petitions. Unfortunately, that means any chance of sparking real change with a petition may be lost to the competition.
There’s no guarantee of change. No matter how many signatures your petition has, there’s still a chance that it won’t effectively bring about a change or reach the desired effect. This is particularly true when it comes to petitions that address government and corporations. Sometimes, a simple petition just doesn’t have enough power to sway powerful individuals and make a change.
Petitions aren’t always accurate. Just because 10,000 people sign your petition does not mean 10,000 people actually agree with you and your cause. People often feel pressured to sign petitions without really understanding what they’re signing for. This can skew the perceived success of the petition as a whole.
People may not sign the petition. There is no legal and ethical way to force someone to sign a petition. Even if someone agrees with your cause or shares your stance on an issue, there’s no guarantee they will agree to sign your petition. Some people don’t want to get involved in activism, and some just don’t want to take the time to give a signature.
