What Are the Disadvantages of Pressure Groups?
One of the disadvantages of pressure groups is that they tend to present only one-sided arguments. This means that they sometimes give a distorted voice to the few people that are involved in such groups. Because of this under-representation, pressure groups can be criticized for being undemocratic, as they can influence elected representatives on the basis of a small set of opinions.
LawGovPol states that pressure groups can also exploit the media or use methods that create division and falsehood about the level of support they enjoy. It states that the influence these groups have sometimes does not give a candid reflection of the public attitude. In most cases, pressure groups only have a single interest, because their only concern may be one area of law or a particular issue. Depending on several factors, pressure groups may exist permanently or may disband once they have failed or succeeded in their agenda. Pressure groups can employ the use of illegal tactics or means and even root for corruption in their dealings. This is especially true considering that outsiders may have limited access or no access at all to some of the lobbyists of pressure groups. Pressure groups thus wield impressive influence, but this influence is often not aligned with general public interests.
