A new study investigates how ordinary European citizens perform in a transnational deliberative poll called EuroPolis. Using an updated Discourse Quality Index (DQI), the research explores two key questions: first, whether people can meet deliberative ideals; second, if socio-economic factors affect their ability to deliberate effectively.
EuroPolis methodology: The study employs an innovative instrument grounded in philosophical discourse principles to assess citizens' performance. This tool evaluates multiple dimensions including rational justification skills and argument quality throughout discussions.
Key findings: ※ Citizens who meet deliberative ideals actually exist, scoring well on all standards tested. Working-class participants show significantly lower scores across most indicators but demonstrate strong opinion change when arguments are shared.
| Deliberative Abilities and Deliberative Influence in a Transnational Deliberative Poll (EuroPolis) was authored by Marlène Gerber, André Bächtiger, Susumu Shikano, Simon Reber and Samuel Rohr. It was published by Cambridge in BJPS in 2018. |
