Deliberative polling
| Citizen participation (→ overviews ) | |
| Deliberation Forum / Deliberative Polling
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| Goal / function | Information, influencing public discussions |
| typical topics | various topics of public interest |
| context | Questions at local to transnational level |
| typical clients | political decision-makers |
| Duration | 2 interviews at different times, with a 2 to 3 day phase of information transfer in between |
| Participants (number and selection) | 300–500 people; random selection (based on certain criteria) |
| important actors, developers, rights holders | James S. Fishkin , Center for Deliberative Democracy |
| geographical distribution | worldwide, especially USA |
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Source: Nanz / Fritsche, 2012, pp. 86–87. |
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Deliberative polling (also Deliberationsforum , English Deliberative opinion poll ) combines survey methods with participatory workshop formats and has been used in the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian countries since the mid-1990s. It is suitable for complex and conflict-laden topics that attract a lot of public attention. The aim is to involve a representative population group and, if possible, to develop a "new" common position in terms of content. Accompanied by media work, a high level of public attention should be achieved.
procedure
The process of a deliberation forum (Danish Folkehøring) takes place in the following steps:
Step 1: Interview I
The process begins with a representative selection of citizens through a random sample . Then their opinion or position on the topic of the forum is asked by telephone, in writing or in person. The willingness to continue participating in the process is also asked of the selected citizens. The representativeness must be ensured.
Step 2: information
Citizens who are willing to participate receive targeted, further and balanced information on the upcoming discussion. Interested citizens become knowledgeable citizens. The information can be conveyed by sending print media or online.
Step 3: debate
Phase 1: Small groups - In a one-day event, the representatively selected citizens are randomly divided into small groups. The discussions taking place there are moderated professionally. In the small group phase, the information transfer is completed and a structured opinion of the citizens is developed. Citizens are challenged not only to criticize the positions of politicians and experts, but they can and should look for new solutions.
Phase 2: Debate - The opinion developed in Phase 1 or the citizens' proposal for a solution serves as the starting point for the subsequent debate: Your new solutions are presented to experts and politicians and discussed by them.
Phase 3: Closing plenum - experts and politicians develop their position on the basis of the proposed solutions and the opinions of the citizens and then present them to the plenum.
Step 4: Interview II
The event ends with a final opinion poll of those involved. Citizens are evaluated to what extent their opinion has developed through the information and the debate. The experts and politicians also show how they have further developed their position on the basis of the forum.
Media support and public attention
The events and results of the forum are continuously processed and promptly passed on to the media accompanying the process. Information can be communicated to the media via press conferences, press, radio and television interviews of all groups of participants as well as press releases from the organizers. Sometimes a media partnership is agreed in advance of the process, which guarantees continuous support.
variation
It is possible to differentiate between the before and after surveys by carrying out additional survey rounds. In the forum (Folkehøring) on the introduction of the euro in Denmark, further surveys were carried out right before the start of the debate and three months after the end of the Folkehøring.
properties
The forum represents a supplement to the formalized channels of representative democracy . As an ad hoc instrument for citizen participation, it is extra-parliamentary, not institutionalized and detached from elections . Its content agenda is i. d. Usually limited to a specific topic. The organization of a forum will i. d. Usually not carried out by the participating citizens themselves, but initiated by political or administrative bodies.
It is not the aim of the forum for participants to act on behalf of the entire population. Therefore, the result is not to be understood as a binding decision, because the representative sample cannot replace a choice.
effect
A representative sample of citizens is involved in the process. The aim is to include citizens who cannot be reached by traditional instruments of citizen participation.
The forum is intended to initiate an equal dialogue between citizens, experts and politicians. The process is intended to balance the differences in information between the various groups and to create a common forum.
All participants should develop their positions in the process of the forum. It is not a question of being right or asserting one's own positions, rather the goal is to develop a “new” common position.
Scientifically evaluated practical experience has shown that the participants in the forums have a demonstrable increase in knowledge regarding the topics discussed. This is associated with significant changes in attitudes that were observed regardless of the social origin of the participants. Among the participants, the proportion of those who expressed their own point of view after an initial indecision increased. The studies have also shown that a very high proportion of the participants developed understanding for the arguments of the other side in the course of the forums.
Overall, the participants showed great satisfaction with the procedure. Only two percent of the participants would not want to participate in a future forum, one percent of the participants would advise family members or friends not to participate.
Examples
Local forums
China - A citizens' survey was carried out in 2008 in the Chinese province of Zeguo Township. 175 representatively selected citizens then discussed the budget of the local administration.
California - In March 2008, 200 citizens of San Mateo Country, California, USA spent two days discussing affordable housing in their county.
National forums
Europe
Denmark - Before the political decision to adopt the euro as the common currency, 364 citizens were involved in Odense in 2000. They discussed Denmark's participation in monetary union.
Great Britain - 130 representatively selected citizens discussed political reform proposals as part of the Power2010 initiative . The list of proposals they created was then the basis for a public vote. The five most important reform topics chosen there have since been part of an election campaign.
EU forums
In 2007, the European Union surveyed 3550 citizens on the subject of “The Future of Europe” and invited 362 citizens from 27 countries for three days to an in-depth debate.
In March 2009 the project “European Citizens' Conferences 2009” was carried out to discuss the economic and social future of Europe in all 27 member states. A total of 1500 citizens took part. In May 2009, the results were brought together at a European Citizens' Summit with 150 participants in Brussels and debated with European political decision-makers.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Patrizia Nanz , Miriam Fritsche: Handbook Citizen Participation: Procedures and Actors, Opportunities and Limits , bpb (vol. 1200), 2012 (PDF 1.37 MB) → to order the printed edition at bpb.de.
- ↑ a b c Vibeke Normann Andersen, Kasper M. Hansen: How deliberation makes better citizens: The Danish Deliberative Poll on the euro (PDF; 134 kB), In: European Journal of Political Research 46 . 2007, pp. 531-556.
- ^ A b James S. Fishkin, Roger Jowell, Robert C. Luskin: Considered Opinions: Deliberative Polling in Britain. In: British Journal of Political Science 32 . 2002, pp. 455-487.
- ↑ Youxing Lang: The enhancement of Deliberative Democracy in China Local Democratic. Deliberation on the 2008 Financial Budgeting in Zeguo Township. (PDF; 153 kB) (No longer available online.) 2008, pp. 1–6 , archived from the original on March 6, 2012 ; accessed on March 8, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Kathleen J. Sullivan: Poll helps locals better understand affordable housing issues, solutions. In: Stanford Report April 1, 2009 .
- ↑ Power 2010 ( Memento of the original from March 16, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Barbara Hans: European Union: The summit of the little people . In: Spiegel Online October 18, 2007 , 2007.
- ↑ European Citizens' Conferences. europaeische-buergerkonferenz.eu, archived from the original on March 23, 2012 ; accessed on March 8, 2017 .
