What is a common interest group?

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noun

a group of people drawn or acting together in support of a common interest or to voice a common concern: Political interest groups seek to influence legislation.

QUIZ

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Origin of interest group

First recorded in 1905–10

Words nearby interest group

interdimensional, interdisciplinary, interest, interested, interesterification, interest group, interesting, interest rate, interest-rate futures, interface, interfacial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use interest group in a sentence

  • The governor has been under pressure from virtually every constituency and interest group in the Democratic Party to pick a senator who represents them.

  • The platform revealed that rock music fans and guitar-related interest groups showed a strong affinity for these types of games so the brand ran its ads against the publisher’s music titles.

  • Not unethically or anything, the politics just arranged themselves in private conversations among City Hall’s leaders, their staffs and the orbit of lobbyists, interest groups and activists around them.

  • In search of plates with plantsMenus have become ever-briefer in the pandemic, resulting in fewer choices, especially for special interest groups.

  • She pushed the race for Council president, which typically occurs among interest groups in private, into public instead, with progressive activists pushing lobbying on her behalf.

  • Before anti-vaxxers, there were anti-fluoriders: a group who spread fear about the anti-tooth decay agent added to drinking water.

  • Asian-Americans are a group of persuadable swing voters, growing faster than any other group in America today.

  • But in the case of black women, another study found no lack of interest.

  • But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.

  • Latinos, the fastest growing minority group in America, are even more underrepresented in Congress.

  • In the parish churches, many of which are of great interest, the predominant styles are Decorated and Perpendicular.

  • And with some expressions of mutual good-will and interest, master and man separated.

  • A desultory conversation on politics, in which neither took the slightest interest, was a safe neutral ground.

  • His also was the intellectual point of view, and the intellectual interest in knowledge and its deductions.

  • She stabbed him, noting the effect upon him with a detached interest that seemed indifferent to his pain.

Cultural definitions for interest group


An organized group that tries to influence the government to adopt certain policies or measures. Also called pressure group. (See lobby.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

An interest group is an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to protect and promote that interest by influencing the government. Interest groups vary greatly in size, aims, and tactics. Political scientists generally divide interest groups into two categories: economic and noneconomic.

Economic Groups

Economic groups, which seek some sort of economic advantage for their members, are the most common type of interest group. Money has significant influence in capitalist societies, so economic interest groups are numerous and powerful. These groups are usually well funded because members willingly contribute money in the hopes of reaping greater political influence and profit.

Economic groups work to win private goods, which are benefits that only the members of the group will enjoy. When a labor union agrees to a contract, for example, its members benefit from the contract, whereas nonunion members do not. If there is no private good incentive, people might choose not to join (especially if there is a membership fee or dues). There are four main types of economic groups: business groups, labor groups, agricultural groups, and professional associations.

Business Groups

Business groups are the most common type of interest group; more than half of all registered lobbyists work for business organizations. Some business lobbyists work for a single corporation, lobbying solely for that company. Businesses also form associations with companies from the same industry to promote all of their interests. For example, the American Petroleum Institute works on behalf of oil companies. Some groups act on behalf of business in general. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for example, seeks pro-business policies in general, not just policies that help one part of the economy.

Because they are usually well funded, business groups tend to be very influential. They work to promote the interests of private companies and corporations by seeking tax cuts, regulatory changes, and other pro-business benefits. Business groups do not always agree with one another, however. What benefits one industry may harm another, so advocates for those industries quite often work against one another.

Labor Groups

Labor groups represent unions, which work to increase wages and improve working conditions for both skilled and unskilled workers. Individual workers have very little power, but banded together, they can wield significant influence. Labor unions have been a significant part of American economic and political life since the late nineteenth century. At the peak of the unions’ influence, roughly one-third of American workers belonged to labor unions.

What are some examples of interest groups?

ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty..
AIDS Policy Center for Children, Youth, and Families..
Affordable Housing Industry Information..
American Association of People with Disabilities..
American Association of Retired Persons..
American Consulting Engineers Council..
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research..

What type of interest groups are most common quizlet?

Business groups are the most common type of interest group; more than half of all registered lobbyists work for business organizations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for example, seeks pro-business policies in general, not just policies that help one part of the economy.

Which is the best example of a special interest group?

Organizations that are not technical may also have Special Interest Groups, which are normally focused on a mutual interest or shared characteristic of a subset of members of the organization. An important example for this are trade unions.

What are the 3 types of interest groups quizlet?

What are the main types of interest groups? Interest groups can be divided into five types: economic, societal, ideological, public interest, and governmental.