Evaluating Structured Deliberations about Emerging Technologies: Post-Process Participant Evaluation

Structured citizen deliberation has been promoted as an integral component of technology assessment, but scholars should also consider whether citizens' value their participation in organised deliberations. We investigated whether Americans who had participated in structured deliberation about emerging technologies thought their experiences should be emulated and institutionalised to address the societal impact of new technologies. In this unique study, we interviewed participants nearly two years after the event rather than immediately post-process. They were also asked to explain their opinions using an openended survey format, which generated a qualitatively rich dataset. Nearly all respondents recommended future consensus conferences, and their reasoning echoed scholarly distinctions between public understanding of science (PUS) and public engagement with science (PES). Our paper concludes with a discussion about whether we can generalise from our results beyond the NCTF or the American political context. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]