2023
Ideas, Influence, and Impact
Cato’s websites—including Cato.org, Libertarianism.org, HumanProgress.org, and ElCato.org—attract over 11 million unique visitors each year.
Cato experts regularly appear on television, radio, podcasts, and major events throughout the year. The prominent media presence of Cato scholars ensures that a libertarian perspective on current events is heard across the country.
Cato experts play a key role in educating leaders, decisionmakers, and the public through hundreds of sharply crafted op-eds in major media outlets.
Cato’s voice in policy debates is amplified through our social media channels on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Cato’s nonpartisan, data-driven scholarly work on key policy topics is frequently praised and cited by politicians, pundits, and citizens across the ideological spectrum.
Cato books have been praised by Nobel laureates, professional critics, and readers worldwide.
To fulfill our vision of a freer tomorrow, we empower young leaders and educate them in libertarian thought and public policy issues through the highly competitive Cato internship program.
Each year more than 500 students from across the country visit Cato headquarters in Washington, DC, to attend a variety of events and programming geared toward educating and inspiring young people.
Cato has built a network of more than 7,500 teachers through the Sphere Education Initiatives, which provides educators with training, resources, and lesson plans to restore civil debate and civic culture in their classrooms.
The educators participating in Sphere take a variety of Cato educational materials and policy solutions back to their classrooms, in turn reaching nearly one million students across the country.
Cato’s expertise is always in demand on Capitol Hill, and with increased investments in growing our outreach team, we’re more productive than ever in translating our policy ideas into impact. Cato scholars met with nearly 250 congressional offices from both parties in 2023 through video conferences, phone calls, and in-person meetings.
Cato experts educated state legislators on a variety of policy issues facing their states, including health care, school choice, criminal justice reform, and housing.
Cato scholars are often called on to provide testimony on a host of pressing policy issues—including fiscal and monetary reforms, immigration, and education. In 2023, Cato scholars were invited to testify before Congress five more times than the previous year and provided nine more statements for the record.
Cato’s reputation as a trusted nonpartisan voice allows us to bridge gaps between the parties and reach wide audiences with our policy solutions. The Congressional Fellowship Program engages congressional policy staff from both parties to find common ground and learn about libertarian policy and philosophy.