Perspectives on Involvement with the National Issues Forums

1. Perspectives on Involvement with the National Issues Forums Demographic Findings from a 2013 survey of active participants in the National Issues Forums The Graphs Prepared for the Deliberation in Everyday Speech Workgroup by Margaret E. Holt Note:These are only the graphs. Qualitative responses that expand upon these inquiries are available in a separate document.

2. Introduction to Graphs • The following 29 graphs represent findings from a 2013 study of active participants in the National Issues Forums. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge of the meaning of involvement from a purposeful sample of individuals who had extensive and sustained experience with these forums. They are based on 65 responses to the survey. Thirty five women and thirty men from 25 States and the District of Columbia responded to the 50-item survey online. Responses to the associated qualitative questions are reported in a separate document.

3. How did you first learn about the National Issues Forums?

4. How many years have you been involved with the National Issues Forums?

5. What is or has been your relationship to the National Issues Forums?

6. What has been the scope of your work with the National Issues Forums?

7. Approximately how many forums have you attended since you became associated with the National Issues Forums?

8. Do you believe there are identifiable democratic practices emphasized in NIF?

9. Do you think your involvement with NIF has influenced how you understand particular practices people in communities use to make decisions together?

10. Do you think your involvement with NIF has influenced how you interact with family, friends, colleagues and/or associates in making decisions?

11. Can you identify any changes in community discourse that you feel can be attributed to NIF?

12. Has your involvement with NIF influenced other civic endeavors in which you have been engaged?

13. Do you generally use the NIF discussion guides in your work with forums?

14. Have you created any NIF-like guides specifically for your community or other audiences?

15. Have you connected to the National Issues Forums Institute?

16. If you have connected to the National Issues Forum Institute, why did you connect?

17. Do you use the National Issues Forum website (www.nifi.org)?

18. If you have used the National Issues Forum website, how did you use it?

19. Do you connect with others in the network?

20. If you connect with others in the network, what has motivated your connection with others?

21. If you connect with others in the network, how do you most frequently connect?

22. Has your involvement with NIF resulted in any direct communication with policymakers?

23. If you involvement with NIF has resulted in communication with policymakers, at what level was the interaction?

24. Has your involvement with NIF contributed in any notable ways to your understanding of public life?

25. Have you modified or adapted any of the NIF practices for civic engagement in other work that you do?

26. Do you participate with other civic engagement networks/organizations (such as America Speaks, Everyday Democracy, National Coalition for Deliberative Democracy?)

27. Are there particular forums that you have found very effective?

28. Are there particular forums you found very ineffective?

29. Compared to other civic engagement practices with which you are familiar, is there anything particularly unique about the National Issues Forums?

30. Is there any way(s) you wish NIF (as a network, distinct from the National Issues Forum Institute), could be different?

31. Do you generally think the way National Issues Forums are framed is beneficial to deliberation of public policy issues?