The Deliberative Democracy Lab (formerly the Center for Deliberative Democracy) is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling® and related democratic processes.

Participants of the America in One Room national Deliberation Poll in Dallas, TX, 2019

The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2022, the Center for Deliberative Democracy (CDD) has transitioned from the Department of Communication to CDDRL as the newly named Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL).

For the last two decades, CDD has focused its work on the theory and practice of deliberative democracy, especially as implemented via Deliberative Polling® — a concept originated in 1988 by Professor James Fishkin, the Janet M. Peck Chair of International Communication. Sometimes called “the poll with a human face,” Deliberative Polling shows what the public would think about an issue both before and after it has considered an issue in depth under good conditions and with good information.

Under the helm of Fishkin and Associate Director Alice Siu, CDD has conducted over 100 Deliberative Polls in 34 countries at varying levels of government and on a variety of topics. In Mongolia, the Parliament passed ‘The Law on Deliberative Polling’ that requires a national Deliberative Poll prior to any amendments to the constitution. In 2019, a national Deliberative Poll was conducted for such a purpose, and the Parliament subsequently passed amendments based on the Deliberative Poll. Also in 2019, a national US Deliberative Poll called America in One Room brought together over 500 participants in-person to Dallas, TX, where participants discussed policy proposals ranging from immigration to climate to foreign policy. The project was a national controlled experiment with participants recruited by NORC at the University of Chicago and yielded immense media coverage, including a video produced by CNN, a tweet from President Barack Obama, and a front-page article in the New York Times, as well as several Op-Eds in the Times and elsewhere.

“A key tenet of CDDRL’s research agenda is identifying ways to foster democracy, both domestically and around the world,” said Mosbacher Director Kathryn Stoner. “The work being done by the Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL) is intrinsically aligned with our Center’s mission. The work that Jim Fishkin and his colleagues have already done is truly unique and field-defining. At CDDRL, we look forward to further building on this outstanding track record to establish the Deliberative Democracy Lab as the global hub for developing, administering, and analyzing deliberative polling. No other university has anything like it.”

“We believe the

The Deliberative Democracy Lab (formerly the Center for Deliberative Democracy) is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling® and related democratic processes.

Participants of the America in One Room national Deliberation Poll in Dallas, TX, 2019

The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) is pleased to announce that effective July 1, 2022, the Center for Deliberative Democracy (CDD) has transitioned from the Department of Communication to CDDRL as the newly named Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL).

For the last two decades, CDD has focused its work on the theory and practice of deliberative democracy, especially as implemented via Deliberative Polling® — a concept originated in 1988 by Professor James Fishkin, the Janet M. Peck Chair of International Communication. Sometimes called “the poll with a human face,” Deliberative Polling shows what the public would think about an issue both before and after it has considered an issue in depth under good conditions and with good information.

Under the helm of Fishkin and Associate Director Alice Siu, CDD has conducted over 100 Deliberative Polls in 34 countries at varying levels of government and on a variety of topics. In Mongolia, the Parliament passed ‘The Law on Deliberative Polling’ that requires a national Deliberative Poll prior to any amendments to the constitution. In 2019, a national Deliberative Poll was conducted for such a purpose, and the Parliament subsequently passed amendments based on the Deliberative Poll. Also in 2019, a national US Deliberative Poll called America in One Room brought together over 500 participants in-person to Dallas, TX, where participants discussed policy proposals ranging from immigration to climate to foreign policy. The project was a national controlled experiment with participants recruited by NORC at the University of Chicago and yielded immense media coverage, including a video produced by CNN, a tweet from President Barack Obama, and a front-page article in the New York Times, as well as several Op-Eds in the Times and elsewhere.

Here’s an interesting read—a reminder that behind every opinion lies a human being with real experiences and a story to tell. Sometimes we’ll agree and sometimes we won’t, but if we want our democracy work, listening to each other isn’t optional. https://t.co/8d4fPUprlu

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 9, 2019

“A key tenet of CDDRL’s research agenda is identifying ways to foster democracy, both domestically and around the world,” said Mosbacher Director Kathryn Stoner. “The work being done by the Deliberative Democracy Lab (DDL) is intrinsically aligned with our Center’s mission. The work that Jim Fishkin and his colleagues have already done is truly unique and field-defining. At CDDRL, we look forward to further building on this outstanding track record to establish the Deliberative Democracy Lab as the global hub for developing, administering, and analyzing deliberative polling. No other university has anything like it.”

“We believe the

Voices of the Future
Deliberative Polling Event