Presentation of the Results from the Deliberative Poll “Politics towards the Roma in Bulgaria”


In April 2007, for a second time Bulgaria was the sight of a national Deliberative Poll. A national random sample of the citizenry was brought to a single site to deliberate for a weekend on a crucial social issue - Policies toward the Roma in Bulgaria.

The Centre for Liberal Strategies, together with partner organizations – Alpha Research, NGO Links and the Bulgarian National Television conducted a National Deliberative Poll Policies toward the Roma in Bulgaria – Ghettoes, Crime, Education in National Palace of Culture, Sofia, Bulgaria, 14-15 April 2007.

The social and economic situation of the Roma is one of the most serious problems caused by the transition in Bulgaria. This issue increasingly affects the whole society. The Roma live in extreme poverty, they are isolated in ghettoes, they lack adequate education, and they have few opportunities to find a job. Generations of Roma live only on welfare.

Deliberative Polling®, with its weekend microcosm, gives a remarkable chance for interaction between a better informed public and officials. It facilitates a transparent, balanced and open public dialogue on the issue of the Roma situation. It also produces clear before and after results that can be taken into account by policymakers and the public.

The main issues that were discussed in the National Deliberative Poll “Policies toward the Roma in Bulgaria” are: “How to Deal with the Roma Ghettoes,” “Penal Policy,” and “How to Solve the Problem with the Education of the Roma.” A final panel dealt with “The Solutions of the Politicians" where ministers and prominent parliamentarians from all major political parties in Bulgaria answered questions on all issues of the debate.

Professor James Fishkin of Stanford University originated the concept of Deliberative Polling® in 1988. He has served as either Director or Academic Advisor for all of the Deliberative Polling® events conducted thus far. He is the Director of the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University. James Fishkin is also Department of Communication Chair, Janet M. Peck Chair in International Communication, Professor of Communication and a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University. Professor Fishkin has been working on each project in close collaboration with Professor Robert Luskin, Associate Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University.

Deliberative Polling® is an attempt to use television and public opinion research in a new and constructive way. A random, representative sample is first polled on targeted issues. After this baseline poll, members of the sample are invited to gather at a single place to discuss the issues. They receive carefully balanced briefing materials, which are also made publicly available. The participants engage in dialogue with competing experts and political leaders based on questions they develop in small group discussions with trained moderators. Parts of the weekend events are broadcast on television, either live or in taped and edited form. After the weekend deliberations, the sample is again asked the original questions. The resulting changes in opinion represent the conclusions the public would reach, if people had the opportunity to become more informed and more engaged by the issues.

Deliberative Polling® events have been conducted in the US, Great Britain, Australia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Ireland, and China. The first national Deliberative Poll on crime was organized in Bulgaria in 2002 by the Center for Liberal Strategies. Professor Fishkin and his colleague Professor Robert Luskin have consulted all Deliberative Polls and will manage the National Deliberative Poll “Policies toward the Roma in Bulgaria”.

Deliberative Polling® is a registered trade mark of James S. Fishkin. Any fees from the trade mark are used to support research.

For more information regarding the Deliberative Polling®, please visit the web site of the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford University: www.cdd.stanford.edu

April 16 (Monday), 11.00 a.m.
Red hall
Entrance with journalist cards

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