UVA’s Miller Center Hosts Debate on Online Engagement

By Pete Peterson

The video from a very interesting installment in UVA’s Miller Center National Discussion & Debate Series - “Internet and Democracy” -  has recently posted to their website.

The debate, which includes Wikipedia’s Jimmy Wales, TechPresident’s Micah Sifry, Slate.com’s Farhad Manjoo, and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Jimmy Keen, is moderated by PBS Newshour’s Paul Solman. The debate focuses on analyzing the impact of the Internet on democratic participation and deliberation, with a particular concentration on how Americans now get their news from the web than print or television.

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New Article on Deliberative Polls in Economist

By Pete Peterson

This month The Economist carries an article, “Ancient Athens Online“, which describes Dr. Jim Fishkin’s work with his Deliberative Poll. Used on issues ranging from land use to pension reform in places from San Mateo County to  China and Australia, the Deliberative Poll involves gathering a statistically representative sample of residents for a 1-3 day series of small group and plenary discussions. Participants take a survey to begin the event, which includes both informational and opinion questions. At the conclusion of the process, participants take the same survey - invariably demonstrating changes in opinion with changes in awareness.

Posted in National, Online, Planning/Land Use | Leave a comment

New Pew Study: Public Use of Gov’t Websites Increasing

By Pete Peterson

Great new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project on Americans use of government websites. It appears that “Gov 2.0″ is becoming more of a reality as those surveyed are increasing their use of government websites. The Pew report focuses on three aspects of government websites (from the Pew website):

  • Data driven – Efforts by government agencies to post their data online are resonating with citizens. Fully 40% of online adults went online in the preceding year to access data and information about government (for instance, by looking up stimulus spending, political campaign contributions or the text of legislation). These “government data users” are discussed in more detail in Part 4.
  • Organized around new online platforms – Citizen interactions with government are moving beyond the website. Nearly one third (31%) of online adults use online platforms such as blogs, social networking sites, email, online video or text messaging to get government information. These “government social media users” are discussed in Part 2.
  • Participatory – Americans are not simply going online for data and information; they want to share their personal views on the business of government. Nearly one quarter (23%) of internet users participate in the online debate around government policies or issues, with much of this discussion occurring outside of official government channels. These “online government participators” are also discussed in more detail in Part 2 of this report.
    The report is available for free download here.
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