Assessing the use and weight of information and evidence in U.S. state policy decisions

This study reports results from a 2008 survey of U.S. State agency administrators across all 50 states and 12 different agency types. Agency managers were asked to disclose the extent to which they relied on information from 19 information sources and to weight the value of information from each source. This paper is particularly interested in ascertaining the proportion of agency policies that are based on formal scientific evidence, and the importance of scientific information as a source of influence on agency decisions relative to other potential sources of information. Information is presented by agency type with significant differences across substantive policy areas noted. Using a weighted index approach, we combine the frequency of consultation of an information source with the weight placed on that evidence by the agency administrator in developing programs and practices. Using these weighted scores, we further examine the relationship of these responses to the weight agencies place on information from various sources.