"Take an idea that literally nobody supports and examine the likelihood it becomes legislation. It has about a 30% chance of becoming federal law. Now take an incredibly popular idea — there’s also about a 30% chance of it becoming law. As you will notice from the flat line, this 30% probability is consistent regardless of the level of support it is received by average Americans. This means that the number of American voters for or against any idea has no impact on the likelihood that Congress will make it a law. As the Princeton study itself states: The preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.

• Gilens & Page Princeton Study"

https://medium.com/k-street/the-average-american-has-no-influence-on-public-policy-84fe0188ad28