Access Allowed: The Role of Socio-Demographic Characteristics in Interest Group Access to the European Parliament

This paper explores the access that interest groups secure to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) through an examination of the socio-demographic characteristics, including age, education, and gender, of the lobbyists employed by these groups. Guided by similarity attraction theory, the study hypothesizes that interest groups staffed by lobbyists from underprivileged socio-demographic backgrounds (i.e. gender, age, education) are less likely to secure access to MEPs, but MEPs from similar backgrounds are less susceptible to such biases. To test these expectations, the study utilizes a combination of door pass data to the European Parliament, reported meetings on the European Parliament's website, and desk research. The results of the study offer valuable insights into the impact of socio-demographic factors on the relationships between interest groups and MEPs and the potential for biases to occur.