Equality of Participation Online Versus Face to Face: Condensed Analysis of the Community Forum Deliberative Methods Demonstration

TL;DR

This study compares online and face-to-face deliberation methods, finding online environments can enhance or dampen participation equality depending on context and demographic factors, with implications for public engagement strategies.

Contribution

It provides a comparative analysis of online versus face-to-face participation, highlighting conditions under which online methods improve or hinder equality of participation.

Findings

Asynchronous online discussion improves gender participation equality.

Online environments may reduce participation among Black individuals.

Greater online participation correlates with increased face-to-face participation.

Abstract

Online deliberation may provide a more cost-effective and/or less inhibiting environment for public participation than face to face (F2F). But do online methods bias participation toward certain individuals or groups? We compare F2F versus online participation in an experiment affording within-participants and cross-modal comparisons. For English speakers required to have Internet access as a condition of participation, we find no negative effects of online modes on equality of participation (EoP) related to gender, age, or educational level. Asynchronous online discussion appears to improve EoP for gender relative to F2F. Data suggest a dampening effect of online environments on black participants, as well as amplification for whites. Synchronous online voice communication EoP is on par with F2F across individuals. But individual-level EoP is much lower in the online forum, and greater online forum participation predicts greater F2F participation for individuals. Measured rates of participation are compared to self-reported experiences, and other findings are discussed.