Types of Pressure Groups

Types of Pressure Groups

• Sectional/Interest groups: promote the interests of a certain group or organisation. Membership is usually limited to people who meet certain requirements, such as qualifications and occupation. An example is the National Farmers Union (NFU).
• Cause groups: focus on bringing light to a particular issue. Membership is usually open. An example is Extinction Rebellion, who are trying to bring light to climate issues. Another example is where members are not affected by the issue, but promote knowledge of it, such as Shelter, the homeless charity.
• Social movement: similar to cause groups but more loosely structured. Some participants are also members of traditional pressure groups, for example members of Campaign for Better Transport may also be members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT).

These groups can further be divided into two groups:

• Insider groups: those with contacts with the government. The NFU have contacts with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and many insider groups have policies that are broadly in line with the government. Many insider groups use lobbyists to push their agendas.
• Outsider groups: unlikely to enter direct contact with the government and use methods such as protests and the media to push their agenda. An example is Fathers for Justice.