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Deliberative Polling
Description
The champion of this approach, James Fishkin, was a traditional pollster. He once remarked that he had grown tired of asking people what they were thinking...when they weren't thinking.
Deliberative Polling sets out to learn what the public might say if it spent some time focusing on the issue, listening to experts and to their neighbours. A baseline poll is taken of the general public, then a representative sample from that same community is invited to a weekend event to really engage on the topic. A final poll is taken to see how the public opinion evolves as the issues and arguments become more familiar. (This is a digest of the technique, not capturing some of the important checks and balances)
Usage
Over twenty projects have been completed using this methodology. Sponsors include regulatory agencies, municipal and senior levels of government.
Case Study
Visit the following web page for case studies involving the use of deliberate polling.