What is an interest group?

NEWS COMMENTATOR: This special interest group...

COMMENTATOR 2: All these interest groups...

COMMENTATOR 3: Interest group money...

COMMENTATOR 4: It has largely been driven by special interest groups.

NARRATOR: What exactly is an interest group, and why do they get people all riled up?

To figure this out, let's play "Which of these is an interest group?"

Dog owners, kindergarteners, car dealers,

or NBA players. The answer?

They all could be interest groups.

People who care about the same things come together to form an interest group.

In order to advance their goals,

interest groups can seek to influence the government for funding or favorable laws.

For example, kindergartners want more recess,

car dealers want to close the deal, and NBA players,

they just want to jam.

There are a lot of ways that interest groups try to influence the government.

Some hire lobbyists to make their case for them.

Some take to the streets to hold rallies or start petitions.

Some groups let money do the talking and donate to politicians.

Some take to the airwaves and social media to get noticed.

But why are interest groups controversial?

Interest groups work to promote the interests of their members,

and this can mean working against the interests of others.

The difference between "interest group" and "special interest" is a matter of perspective.

For instance, who could be against a playground?

How about a retiree who doesn't have kids or grandkids?

He doesn't want to pay more taxes for a playground he'll never use.

We all want the government to be on our side,

but sometimes it's hard to accommodate the interests of every group.