A diverse group of people are convened to deliberate on a particular issue.
Sample Size
Typically 12 to 24 people. However, large samples also fall under this category when the selection process falls short of random selection.
Examples
- Recently added to Oregon initiative law.
- Ned Crosby’s Jefferson Center.
- Ted Becker’s Televote (not due to small sample size, but due to inadequate experimental control)
PROs
- Likely to include people who are indifferent about the issue.
- Plausibly approaches what the whole population would think about the issue if they had a chance to think about it.
- Typically less expensive than a deliberative polling.
CONs
- Efficacy cannot be established by statistical methods due to small sample size or inadequate experimental control.