It’s no secret that the wealthy have better access to politicians. Just how much access they get, however, might surprise you.

According to a new study of people with a median wealth of $7.5 million, nearly half of the respondents had contacted a member of Congress during the previous six months. Fully 40% had contacted their senator. More than a quarter of them had contacted a congressperson from another district or state.

Some of the respondents were on a first-name basis with White House officials. For instance, “Rahm” (Emmanuel) and “David” (Axelrod) were named as contacts by the respondents. This may have been due to the fact that the study was mainly of people in the Chicago Area. The paper, titled “Wealthy Americans, Philanthropy and the Common Good,” is by Northwestern University’s Benjamin I. Page, Fay Lomax Cook and Rachel Moskowitz.

Still, the study said that “we see no particular reason why their high frequency of contacts with congressional representatives should be atypical of wealthy Americans elsewhere in the country.”

Their frequent access may be linked to the study’s other finding: that the respondents gave an average of $4,633 to political campaigns and organizations over the previous year, and more than 20% had solicited or “bundled” for politicians.

Their contacts far surpass those of non-wealthy Americans. One 2004 survey showed that less than 25% of Americans contacted a government official at any level, whether local, state of federal.

We assume that the rich are contacting their Congressmen to get a favor or favorable legislation. But that’s not always the case. The survey created two categories for the contacts: those aimed at narrow self-interest and those aimed at “broad collective concerns,” like education, poverty, health care and the arts.

The study found that narrow self-interest accounted for 44% of contacts. The responses in this category included: “trying to get him to pass or veto some legislation,” or “trying to get Treasury to honor their commitment to extend TARP fund to a particular bank in Chicago,” or “seeking regulatory approvals.”

The broad collective concerns, however, account for 56% of the contacts. Some specifics included health-care policy, saving the Everglades and cancer prevention and cures.

“Our evidence indicates that when wealthy Americans contact high-level public officials, they often address the common good as they see it, not just their own parochial concerns.”

Do you think the wealthy are pursuing narrow self interest or the common good in their contacts with Washington?