 
Channel Four Deliberative Poll 'Crime In The U.K.'
Method(s) Used
Name of person who posted the project:Edward Andersson
Location of project:United Kingdom
Date when the project started:
Date when the project ended/project ongoing:
Background to project:This project, which took place in 1994 was Britain's first Deliberative Poll. It was a collaboration between Channel 4 and the American Center for Deliberative polling.Purpose of project:The topic chosen for the Deliberative poll was crime, an issue chosen for its emotive nature and the public's strong views on the issue. This issue is high of the public agenda but often with a very polarised debate. The aim of the project was to see what the public thought once they had considered the issues in depth.Project activities:The first stage of the Deliberative Poll involved interviewing a representative sample of the electorate about their views on crime and punishment. After the interview, each person was invited to take part in a televised weekend event in Manchester.Around 300 people attended the event. Before arriving in Manchester they were sent briefing materials that introduced the issues at stake. Once there, they could cross-question various experts and politicians including pro- and anti-prison reformers, an ex-prisoner and politicians from all three main political parties. After the weekend they completed the questionnaire again. Finally, some ten months later, participants were again re-interviewed in order to assess the durability of any changes in their views. Project results:The views and understanding of the participants changed significantly through the process. For example, 50% of the participants initially thought "stiffer sentences generally" would be a very effective way of reducing crime but in the ten month follow up poll only 36% thought this.Contact details:Center for Deliberative PollingDepartment of Government BUR 406 Austin, TX 78712-1087 USA Telephone: 001-512-232-1676 Fax: 001-512-475-7928 Email: delpol@mail.la.utexas.edu Web: http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/delpol/cdpindex.html 
Please note that Deliberative poll are a trade mark of the Center for Deliberative Polling |
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