The Collective Courage of Deep Canvassing: A Good Challenge Made Possible By Community

Background and Purpose: Deep canvassing is a community organizing tactic that aims to change attitudes through sharing personal stories and making emotional connections about political issues. Research has shown that deep canvassing is one of few interventions that can effectively change attitudes and increase support for equity policies. Yet talking with strangers about contentious political issues is an inherently challenging action for any one person to engage in, creating a puzzle: why would anyone choose to have such challenging conversations? This study explores the experiences of deep canvassers to understand why and how they engage in this challenging tactic.

Methods: The study used focus group interviews with 13 deep canvassers involved in a project to increase support for anti-carceral policies in Los Angeles County. The focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key themes related to the canvassers' experiences.

Results: The thematic analysis revealed six key themes. Three themes related to canvassing as a “good challenge,” including the canvassers' emotional and physical experiences and the challenges and rewards of bridging across political differences. The other three themes related to the importance of the collective context of deep canvassing, including the supportive community, skill development, and political development. These findings reinforce an understanding of organizing as not simply about individual behaviors. The community and relationships developed in the course of organizing can propel people to do challenging things that may be improbable otherwise.

Conclusions and Implications: Deep canvassing is both challenging and rewarding. The collective context of deep canvassing provides essential support, community, and opportunities for growth, enabling canvassers to engage in difficult but meaningful work. These findings highlight the importance of community and relationships in organizing and suggest that organizers can maximize the impact of deep canvassing by creating intentional, supportive collective contexts.