The Televised Deliberative Poll: An Experiment in Democracy

The concept of the televised deliberative poll is outlined. Its first realization-in Britain by the television network Channel Four in May of 1994-is described. Ordinary polls model what the public is thinking even when it is disengaged or inattentive. The deliberative poll attempts to model what th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 1996-07, Vol.546 (1), p.132-140
Main Author: Fishkin, James S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Broadcasting industry
CRIME
Democracy
GREAT BRITAIN
MASS MEDIA (NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES, TV, RADIO, ETC.)
Media
Microcosms
Opinion Polls
Political opinions
Politicians
Polls
Polls & surveys
POLLS (ALL TYPES)
Prisons
PUBLIC OPINION
TELEVISION
Television networks
U.S.A
United Kingdom
Voting
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Summary:The concept of the televised deliberative poll is outlined. Its first realization-in Britain by the television network Channel Four in May of 1994-is described. Ordinary polls model what the public is thinking even when it is disengaged or inattentive. The deliberative poll attempts to model what the public would think, if it were truly engaged by the issues. A national random sample is brought to a single place where its deliberations, in small group sessions and with competing experts and politicians, can be broadcast nationally and where it can arrive at considered judgments. The 1994 British experiment was held on the issue of crime. The sample was highly representative, both attitudinally and demographically, and its opinions changed dramatically. Implications for future experiments are discussed, particularly for the National Issues Convention, the January 1996 PBS experiment based on the same concept.
ISSN:0002-7162
1552-3349
DOI:10.1177/0002716296546001012