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Deliberative Polling® Project


Summary

Deliberative Polling ® employs social science to see what people would think about an issue if they became more engaged and informed. A random, representative sample is first polled on some specific public interest topic. After this baseline poll, members of the sample are invited to gather at a single place for one or more days in order to discuss the issue. Carefully balanced briefing materials, developed by an advisory group, are sent to the participants and are also made publicly available. The participants engage in dialogue with competing experts and decision makers based on questions they develop in small group discussions with trained moderators. Parts of the event are often broadcast, either live or in taped and edited form. After the deliberations, the sample of citizens is again asked the original questions. The resulting changes in opinion represent the conclusions the public would reach if people had an opportunity to really discuss an issue, engage with alternative points of view, and become more informed.  For more details, see the Center for Deliberative Democracy.


Core questions

How might Deliberative Polling® be used on college campuses to engage students, faculty, staff, and/or members of the broader community in discussions of public issues?  Could those deliberations contribute to a more informed community, to better democratic processes, and to the strengthening of the work of preparing undergraduates to be informed, engaged citizens?


Promotion and Outreach

14 AASCU campuses have been invited to send 1-2 representatives to take part in a Deliberative Polling® Training Institute co-sponsored by The New York Times and the Center for Deliberative Democracy® at Stanford. The expectation is that these 14 schools will unfold deliberative polling initiatives on their campuses after taking part in the institute.

Participants

Austin Peay State University
Boise State University
California State University Fullerton
California University of Pennsylvania
Emporia State University
Fitchburg State College
Florida Gulf Coast University
Fort Hays State University *
Indiana University of Purdue University Indianapolis *
Lincoln University of Missouri
Metropolitan State University
Northern Kentucky University
State University of New York Cortland
State University of New York Plattsburgh
The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey *
Troy University
Towson University
University of Alaska Anchorage
University of Central Oklahoma *
University of Illinois Springfield
University of Maine Augusta *
University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Wisconsin River Falls
Weber State University
Western Connecticut State University
Western Kentucky University
West Chester University
Western Carolina University
Winona State University *

Partner Organizations

Center for Deliberative Democracy® at Stanford
The New York Times