Presentation to Government of Canada Public Opinion Community of Expertise Scott Edward Bennett Faculty of Public Affairs Carleton University February 26, 2014
I. The Value of Public Opinion to Government Organizations The Value of Public Opinion to the Community at Large II. Enhancing the Deliberative/Informational Dimension of Public Opinion to III. Improve Governance The first two items noted above are central to some work that the MRIA is preparing to undertake. The third is more my own personal concern as I think it relates very directly to the usefulness of public opinion.
Elite or Qualitative Study of Decision Makers and Managers with Government I. II. General Population Study of the Public Perception of Public Opinion and Governance. III. Literature Review Relating to Comparative and International Use of Public Opinion in Governance In order to explore some of the foundational issues, the MRIA is beginning to design these types of studies. At some point in this process, it is likely that public opinion officers in GOC departments will be involved. This is particular likely with respect to some aspects of the elite/qualitative study.
Importance for the Government of Canada to... Be aware of public opinion about the public policies Canadians want? Know the best way to communicate public policies to Canadians? Know how Canadians want government services to be administered? Know how satisfied Canadians are with different government services?
Agreement/Disagreement with … Well done surveys are the best way for the Government of Canada to determine how to serve Canadians. It is important for all members of Parliament to have good information on public views about desired actions of the Government of Canada. It is important for civil servants working in Government of Canada departments to have good information on public views about desired actions of the Government of Canada. It is important for Canadians to have access to all the information the Government of Canada collects about their opinions.
Elite and public … Awareness of polls and surveys Perceptions of the quality of polls and surveys Perceptions of the impact of polls and surveys
Level of resources governments devote to public opinion studies and similar Availability and accessibility of results to various groups Quality aspects of studies used in governance Possibly the perceived impact of public opinion studies done for government
In the somewhat longer term, it will be important for the public opinion community to enhance the value of public opinion in governance by adopting a deliberative approach. This could also be expressed in terms of a gaining a better understanding of the informational grounding of public opinion. This research is not encompassed in current MRIA plans, but it is a focus of mine and an extension of some of the themes in the MRIA projects. Increased measurement of the actual information content behind public opinion. I. II. Increased analysis of how new information modified opinion. The future importance of public opinion in governance depends not only on establishing that it is seen to be useful but also that it is potentially linked to a grounded understanding in objective aspects of issues.
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