Public participation

The SPC organises and runs events for policymakers, businesses, community groups and members of the public.

Deliberative polling

At a time when more people than ever feel that politics doesn’t involve them, we need new ways to bring citizens into decision-making.

Our innovative deliberative polling process helps public organisations do just that, and provides new insight into subjects ranging from migration policy to grants budget allocation.

Deliberative polling brings together quantitative and qualitative methods to understand public opinion on policy problems. Apart from being a more democratic and fulfilling consultation strategy, it produces insightful research. Audience members develop questions, proposals and counter-proposals in relation to policy issues that have been outlined by experts.

To find out more, take a look at our blog post from SPC Director Simon Eden which looks at an event hosted by Test Valley Borough Council on Deliberative Democracy: exploring fresh approaches to consultation.

See more of our work on new forms of public participation.