More survey data today: The second annual Capital Staffers Index, conducted by StrategyOne shows a spike in the use of digital and social media by legislators and staffers in government bodies in the U.S. and Europe. StrategyOne interviewed 271 senior staffers in Washington D.C., Berlin, Brussels, London, and Paris.

The survey shows a 41 point increase in the use of blogs and websites (72 percent), a 15 point increase in the use of social media (37 percent), and an eight point rise in the use of microblogs (15 percent). The microblogging number still has a lot of room to grow, but we know that U.S. politicians are very active on Twitter.

The research also found that staffers are online checking out the day’s news before 10a.m. and turn to social media after that hour, written letters and in-person visits are effective methods for reaching legislators and their staffs, and two-thirds focus on national publications for following issues.