13.2 Deliberative Polling: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:59, 11 June 2026

Deliberative polling improves upon ordinary public opinion polling by allowing the randomly sampled participants to deliberate with each other and ask for expert knowledge, integrating facts and values. For making important policy decisions, such a process simulates the opinions of an informed public. A mock deliberative polling event is hosted every term, with past topics such as natural gas fracking, gene drives in mosquitos, and social media policy.

The Lesson in Context

Near the end of the course, we introduce some techniques for group decision making that have seen some real-world success. Deliberative polling is one such method that allows citizens to make a democratic decision on some policy option in accordance with their values but with the knowledge of experts at their disposal.

Earlier Lessons

1.1 Introduction and When Is Science Relevant

Students are familiar with the tension between facts in an epistocracy and values in a democracy. The primary purpose of a deliberative poll is to resolve this conflict by giving members of the general public access to the narrow expertise needed for some difficult policy decision.

7.1 Causation, Blame, and Policy

Deliberative polling may be able to help resolve the issues of status quo bias in policy making. It does so by forcing people to carefully consider a wider array of policy options as well as the implications and consequences of each.
However, people are not immune to their other biases just because they're in a deliberative poll. Omission bias can still be a strong motivator in determining which policy the members of the public select.

10.1 Confirmation Bias

Selective exposure can be addressed by deliberative polling since all the participants (both members of the general public and experts) are forced to be exposed to multiple sides of whatever policy they're debating.
Deliberative polling does not necessarily help with biased assimilation.

13.1 Denver Bullet Study

In the Denver Bullet Study method, the final recommendation is provided by experts to match the values put forth by various stakeholders. The citizens don't need to know about the technical details at all. All they have to worry about are the values. In deliberative polling, the experts are there to inform the general public who are integrating facts and values for themselves.

Takeaways

After this lesson, students should

Be optimistic about the possibility of integrating the perspectives and insights of both experts and stakeholders in forming effective policies with community buy-in.
Recognize problems which could be resolved effectively using deliberative polling.

Deliberative Polling

A system of decision-making wherein a representative group of stakeholders come together, exchange and discuss information, question experts, and poll their individual opinions at various points throughout the session.

Participants are not required to come to an agreement.
Participants are asked to speak to the facts presented in the briefing material, rather than try to convince other group members of their position.
Experts are only there to answer questions posed by participants, rather than try to convince people of their own position.
Each small group is moderated by a neutral moderator.

Deliberative Democracy Lab

The group that first developed deliberative polling.

Deliberative Democracy Lab

The Stanford center that developed deliberative polling.

America One Room Experiment

A New York Times article on the success of a Texas deliberative polling event.

America in One Room

New York Times Opinion on a Texas deliberative polling event.

After this lesson, students should

Attitudes
1. Be optimistic about the possibility of integrating the perspectives and insights of both experts and stakeholders in forming effective policies with community buy-in.
Concept Acquisition
1. Deliberative Polling: A system of decision-making wherein a representative group of stakeholders come together, exchange and discuss information, question experts, and poll their individual opinions at various points throughout the session.
Concept Application
1. Recognize problems which could be resolved effectively using deliberative polling.
2. Plan deliberative polls, including:
  1. Identifying relevant stakeholders.
  2. Identifying relevant experts.
  3. Identifying important types of factual information & questions.
  4. Proposing appropriate questions to ask in the polls.

Additional Content

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-{{Navbox}}
+{{Cover|13.2 Deliberative Polling}}
-{{Todo|Fill out the learning goals and definitions.}}
+Deliberative polling improves upon ordinary public opinion polling by allowing the randomly sampled participants to deliberate with each other and ask for expert knowledge, integrating facts and values. For making important policy decisions, such a process simulates the opinions of an informed public. A mock deliberative polling event is hosted every term, with past topics such as natural gas fracking, gene drives in mosquitos, and social media policy.
-{{Todo|Add links in learning goals.}}
-{{Todo|Write the "context" for how this lesson connects with others.}}
-{{Todo|Edit previous lesson to see if there's any setup for this lesson that needs to be in the "During Class" or "After Class" section of the last.}}
-{{Todo|Fill out the lesson content.}}
-{{Todo|Fill out or delete anything with "[...]" remaining.}}
-== Learning Goals ==
+== The Lesson in Context ==
-[Link to PlayPosit]
+<!-- Always begin section with a description of this lesson in relation to the course as a whole. -->
+Near the end of the course, we introduce some techniques for group decision making that have seen some real-world success. Deliberative polling is one such method that allows citizens to make a democratic decision on some policy option in accordance with their values but with the knowledge of experts at their disposal.
-[Link to instructional video]
+<!-- Expandable section relating this lesson to other lessons. -->
+{{Expand|Relation to Other Lessons|
+'''Earlier Lessons'''
+{{ContextLesson|1.1 Introduction and When Is Science Relevant}}
+{{ContextRelation|Students are familiar with the tension between facts in an epistocracy and values in a democracy. The primary purpose of a deliberative poll is to resolve this conflict by giving members of the general public access to the narrow expertise needed for some difficult policy decision.}}
+{{ContextLesson|7.1 Causation, Blame, and Policy}}
+{{ContextRelation|Deliberative polling may be able to help resolve the issues of status quo bias in policy making. It does so by forcing people to carefully consider a wider array of policy options as well as the implications and consequences of each.}}
+{{ContextRelation|However, people are not immune to their other biases just because they're in a deliberative poll. Omission bias can still be a strong motivator in determining which policy the members of the public select.}}
+{{ContextLesson|10.1 Confirmation Bias}}
+{{ContextRelation|Selective exposure can be addressed by deliberative polling since all the participants (both members of the general public and experts) are forced to be exposed to multiple sides of whatever policy they're debating.}}
+{{ContextRelation|Deliberative polling does not necessarily help with biased assimilation. }}
+{{ContextLesson|13.1 Denver Bullet Study}}
+{{ContextRelation|In the Denver Bullet Study method, the final recommendation is provided by experts to match the values put forth by various stakeholders. The citizens don't need to know about the technical details at all. All they have to worry about are the values. In deliberative polling, the experts are there to inform the general public who are integrating facts and values for themselves.}}
+}}
+== Takeaways ==
-More details: [link to topic on SSS website]
+<tabber>
+|-|Learning Goals=
 After this lesson, students should
-# [What they should understand, feel, learn, etc.]
+<!-- Learning goals are written as a numbered list. -->
+# Be optimistic about the possibility of integrating the perspectives and insights of both experts and stakeholders in forming effective policies with community buy-in.
+# Recognize problems which could be resolved effectively using deliberative polling.
-=== Definitions ===
+|-|Definitions=
-* '''Deliberative Polling'''
+<!-- Definitions must be written with the Definition and Subdefinition templates. The first Definition should have the "first=yes" flag at the end. -->
-*: A system of decision-making wherein a representative group of stakeholders come together, exchange and discuss information, question experts, and poll their individual opinions at various points throughout the session.
+{{Definition|Deliberative Polling|A system of decision-making wherein a representative group of stakeholders come together, exchange and discuss information, question experts, and poll their individual opinions at various points throughout the session.
-*:* Participants are not required to come to an agreement.
+:* Participants are not required to come to an agreement.
-*:* Participants are asked to speak to the facts presented in the briefing material, rather than try to convince other group members of their position.
+:* Participants are asked to speak to the facts presented in the briefing material, rather than try to convince other group members of their position.
-*:* Experts are only there to answer questions posed by participants, rather than try to convince people of their own position.
+:* Experts are only there to answer questions posed by participants, rather than try to convince people of their own position.
-*:* Each small group is moderated by a neutral moderator.
+:* Each small group is moderated by a neutral moderator.|first=yes}}
+<br />
-=== Examples ===
+|-|Examples=
-* [item 1]
+{{Example
+|Deliberative Democracy Lab
+|The group that first developed deliberative polling.
+|links={{LinkCard
+|url=https://cdd.stanford.edu/
+|title=Deliberative Democracy Lab
+|description=The Stanford center that developed deliberative polling.}}
+}}
+{{Example
+|America One Room Experiment
+|A New York Times article on the success of a Texas deliberative polling event.
+|links={{LinkCard
+|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/opinion/america-one-room-experiment.html
+|title=America in One Room
+|description=New York Times Opinion on a Texas deliberative polling event.}}
+}}
+<br />
-=== Common Misconceptions ===
+|-|Expanded Learning Goals=
-* ''Mistaken quote''
+After this lesson, students should
-*: Explanation.
+# Attitudes
+## Be optimistic about the possibility of integrating the perspectives and insights of both experts and stakeholders in forming effective policies with community buy-in.
-== Context ==
+# Concept Acquisition
+## '''Deliberative Polling:''' A system of decision-making wherein a representative group of stakeholders come together, exchange and discuss information, question experts, and poll their individual opinions at various points throughout the session.
-[Explanation of how the current topic into the larger context of the course by explaining how the previous topic(s) relate to the current topic and leaving cliffhangers for future topics where relevant throughout the lesson]
+# Concept Application
+## Recognize problems which could be resolved effectively using deliberative polling.
-=== Before ===
+## Plan deliberative polls, including:
+### Identifying relevant stakeholders.
-: '''[[1.1 Introduction and When Is Science Relevant]]'''
+### Identifying relevant experts.
-:: Explanation.
+### Identifying important types of factual information & questions.
-:* Itemized explanation.
+### Proposing appropriate questions to ask in the polls.
-: '''[[7.1 Causation, Blame, and Policy]]'''
-:: Explanation.
-:* Itemized explanation.
-: '''[[10.1 Confirmation Bias]]'''
-:: Explanation.
-:* Itemized explanation.
-: '''[[13.1 Denver Bullet Study]]'''
-:: Explanation.
-:* Itemized explanation.
-== Planning for Deliberative Polling ==
-{{Caution|Many of these have to be started more than a semester ahead and planning will occur throughout the semester.}}
-=== Developing the Topic ===
-==== Deciding on a Topic ====
-==== Writing the Briefing Materials ====
-=== Recruiting Experts ===
-=== Recruiting Moderators ===
-== Recommended Outline ==
-=== Before Class ===
-* Someone has a moderator training session.
-* Everyone needs to have read the briefing materials.
-* Coordinate with the TA and extra moderator for your section.
-* Make a pre-poll form.
-* Make a post-poll form.
-* Make a spreadsheet to put student questions on.
-* Prepare a seating chart.
-* Review PlayPosit and discussion questions and ask faculty, Gabriel, or Emlen any questions you have.
-* (Optional) Prepare a presentation.
-=== During Class ===
-* (10 min) Whole class review of deliberative polling and the briefing materials.
-* Give the students the pre-poll and have them do it.
-* (30 min) First round of deliberation.
-* (10 min) Break and chance to read reading materials for answers.
-* (30 min) Second round of deliberation.
-=== After Class ===
-* Compile the questions and make sure it's clear which students are asking them.
-* Someone will go through the questions and decide which ones to ask.
-== Lesson Content ==
-=== Deliberative Polling Review ===
-GSI reviews how deliberative polling works in the real world and explains the deliberative polling agenda. {{Todo|Figure out the deliberative polling agenda.}}
-The goal of the deliberation is to arrive at questions for the experts.
-=== Briefing Material Review ===
-Ask a series of clicker style quick response questions about the content in the briefing material.
-This depends on the topic. {{Todo|Figure out the topic.}}
+</tabber>
+{{#restricted:{{Private:13.2 Deliberative Polling}}}}
+{{NavCard|chapter=Lesson plans|text=All lesson plans|prev=13.1 Denver Bullet Study|next=14.1 Scenario Planning}}
 [[Category:Lesson plans]]