The Deliberative Democracy Lab (formerly the Center for Deliberative Democracy), housed within the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University, is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling®.
Latest News and Events
New Deliberative Democracy Lab Joins CDDRL
VIDEO
A short video summary of the America in One Room: Climate and Energy project.
WEBINAR
America in One Room Climate and Energy: Discussion Results from a National Deliberative Poll.
VIEW THE WEBINAR HERE AND THE SUPPLEMENTAL VIDEO HERE.
PROJECT
America in One Room: Climate and Energy
In September 2021, a new sample of America in One Room was convened to deliberate about policy options for climate and energy. These public deliberations focused on possible options to help achieve Net Zero (the point at which we would no longer be adding to the total of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere).
This is a Helena project, with a national sample of 962 people and a comparably sized control group recruited by NORC at the University of Chicago. Partners included California Forward, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Center for Houston’s Future and the In This Together. Results available before the Glasgow Summit (the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, 31 October, 2021). Participants deliberated online using the Stanford Platform for Online Deliberation.
RESULTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND DETAILED RESULTS ARE FOUND HERE.
PRESS
- Center for Deliberative Democracy focuses on climate change The Stanford Daily 8/2021
- What happens when you put 926 random Americans in a room and tell them to solve the climate crisis FAST COMPANY 10/2021 PDF
- What American’s Really Think About Climate Change – The America In One Room Survey Forbes 10/2021 PDF
- The Problem with Climate Change: Communication Newsweek 10/2021 PDF
- Deliberative Approach To Energy and Climate Challenges Shows How To Bring Americans Together CAFWD 10/2021 PDF
- Fox Weather Does Not Deny Climate Change. It just ignores it TNR 10/2021 PDF
- Watch: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Lindsey Graham discuss bipartisanship at Harvard climate change policy forum Boston.com 10/21 PDF
- Is the Climate Crisis Just Too Hot for US to Handle? American Purpose 11/2021 PDF
- Friday’s COP26 theme is youth and public empowerment. Here’s what you need to know. Washington Post 11/2021 PDF
- The American Climate Consensus. Project Syndicate 12/2021 PDF
- Political Polarization Over Climate Change Isn’t Bad As Bad As You Think Triple Pundit 12/2021 PDF
AMERICA IN ONE ROOM
America in One Room—Election Follow-Up
The participants in the Deliberative Poll in Dallas and the control group were surveyed in a recent follow-up conducted by NORC. 463 of the original deliberators and 710 of the original control group responded. They were asked about how much they followed the campaign, what they thought of the government’s handling of the Covid crisis and who they planned to vote for. Results for both the deliberators and the control group are presented here.
- America in One Room Election Follow-up Summary
- America in One Room Election Follow-up Results
- These Americans Tried to Listen to One Another. A Year Later, Here’s How They’re Voting, The New York Times
Play about America in One Room
DID YOU KNOW: America In One Room is based on a real-life convention that took place in
September of 2019 in Dallas, Texas, hosted by Stanford’s Center for Deliberative Democracy and
Helena, a global nonpartisan organization dedicated to identifying and implementing solutions
for problems. The event brought together over 500 people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, and
identities from across the country to talk about five topics: the economy, immigration, health
care, foreign policy, and the environment. Before their arrival, each participant completed an
in-depth questionnaire about their views on these five areas. Each day, attendees took part
in small breakout sessions led by a moderator, where they discussed these issues. Everyone’s
viewpoints were documented so they could give the event organizers a clearer, more balanced
understanding of America’s political landscape according to voters. After the convention was
over, the participants had to take the original questionnaire one last time. The survey found that
95% of participants had “learned a lot about people very different from me” and 98.2% reported
that the experience was “valuable.”
- Florida Studio Theatre Produces World Premiere of America in One Room broadway WORLD Sarasota 11/2021
- Inspired by the real-life convention of the same name, America in One Room dissects recent headlines and our nation’s past to answer the question: what does it mean to be an American? AMERICA IN ONE ROOM by Jason Odell Williams, is a comedy-drama about what divides us and what brings us together as a nation. For more information, please visit NPX, Florida Studio Theater, and SRQ. 12/2021
- FST’s America in One Room Hits All the Hot-button Issues Sarasota 12/21
- Can We Talk? Why I Put “America in One Room” American Theater
Webinar for America in One
- This webinar was for the League of Women Voters. The video recording is available here.
Voices of America in One Room
America in One Room is the historic gathering of American voters from across ages, races, genders, and the political spectrum- led by Stanford’s Center for Deliberative Democracy. Today, Stanford student and CDD assistant Aditi Narayanan interviews Taren Lynn, a participant in this – as they discuss the feeling of meeting with people from across the country and how disagreements and tensions can be resolved peacefully. This interview was edited by another Stanford freshman, Cameron Lange.
- Interview of Taren Lynn
- Eric Frydenlund: Everyone has a story if we’re willing to listen Wisconsin State Journal
After America in One Room
- Listen to Alice Siu as she talked what happened after on the Civil Squared podcast.
Design of the New School on Planetary Sustainability
- Deliberative Polling to Inform the Design of the New School on Planetary Sustainability
- Faculty deliberation supports proposals for new school focused on climate and sustainability
Courses on Deliberative Democracy
- James Fishkin: COMM 137W: The Dialogue of Democracy (AMSTUD 137, COMM 237, POLISCI 232T, POLISCI 332T)
- Alice Siu: COMM 138: Deliberative Democracy Practicum: Applying Deliberative Polling (COMM 238)PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE: NAVIGATING POLARIZATION, DELIBERATION, AND CIVIL DISCOURSE
- CDD and Close Up: Learn Deliberative Democracy. This course is for high school students. Course details here. Apply today.
- Dates: June 20 – July 1, 2022
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Summer Institute for Deliberative Democracy: Meet and deliberate with other passionate young people from across the country! Join us in June in Washington, D.C., to develop a deep understanding of pressing national issues, create a cohesive agenda for action, learn how to effectively advocate for proposals in front of public officials, and leave ready to make change and facilitate dialogue in your own community. Students who participate in the full two-week program will be certified by Close Up and Stanford’s CDD as Student Ambassadors of Deliberative Dialogue.
- Join our deliberations
We have ongoing deliberative events at high schools and colleges around the world. If you, your class, or your school would like to take part in deliberations with us, please reach out to us using the interest forms below. If you would like to learn more about our deliberations in schools, please visit this webpage.
High school interest form
College (post-secondary) interest form
Voices of Shaping Our Future
Imagine a world where forming policy was less about cutting through red tape, and more about listening to people for building a better tomorrow. Two of the most widely discussed social issues facing our society today center around our CLIMATE and ECONOMIC INEQUALITY. While many people are divided on these issues, and there are a variety of ideas involving how they should be handled, we were curious to know what the younger generation thought about these topics.
In May 2021, more than 600 young people from across the country were brought together online to discuss their insights on these issues in small groups, listen to panel experts answer their questions, and interact with each other regardless of whether or not they agreed on the topics being discussed. In this podcast, we speak with some of those participants and get their thoughts on the conversations they had during the 2021 “Shaping Our Future” event.
Recent Publications
- Is Deliberation an Antidote to Extreme Partisan Polarization? Reflections on “America in One Room” American Political Science Review James S. Fishkin, Alice Siu, Larry Diamond and Norman Bradburn
- Deliberative Distortions? Homogenization, Polarization, and Domination in Small Group Deliberations British Journal of Political Science
Robert C. Luskin, Gaurav Sood, James S. Fishkin, Kyu S. Hahn - Does Deliberation Increase Public-Spiritedness? Social Science Quarterly
Rui Wang, James S. Fishkin & Robert C. Luskin
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