We do all we can to minimize biases in the citizens jury process. That’s why we have jurors and third-party researchers evaluate our events, with an eye toward fairness and neutrality.
Summary of Bias Ratings of Citizens Jury Projects Conducted by the Jefferson Center
The following are the ratings given to projects in response to the question, “One of our aims is to have the staff and volunteers of the Jefferson Center conduct the project in an unbiased way. How satisfied are you with their performance in this regard?” (Slight variations in the question were used in some projects.) A few of our early projects did not use the ratings: the first two projects, done in the 1970s; two conducted in Rochester, Minn., in the early 1990s; and a demonstration project on organ transplants in 1986.
To the best of our knowledge, no other organization in the world has kept as long and careful a record regarding staff neutrality in the citizen participation projects it conducted.
| Project | Very Satisfied | Satisfied | Neutral | Dissatisfied | Very dissatisfied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981, “Peacemaking” | 33% | 67% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| 1984, Agriculture/Water Quality | 40% | 60% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| 1988, School-based Clinics | 88% | 12% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| 1989, St. Paul Mayoral Election | 96% | 4% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
| 1990, Minnesota Governor’s Race | 94% | 6% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1991, Hennepin County Budget 1 | 55% | 10% | 30% | 5% | -0- |
1992, Pennsylvania Senate | 82% | 15% | 3% | -0- | -0- |
1993, Federal Budget 2 | 92% | 4% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1993, Clinton Health Care Plan | 83% | 12% | -0- | 4% | -0- |
1994, At-risk Children, Conn. 3 | 75% | 8% | 8% | 8% | -0- |
1994, Welfare System, Rep. Penny | 78% | 22% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1994, Penn. Gubernatorial Election | 88% | 12% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1995, Traffic Congestion | 46% | 29% | 12.5% | 12.5% | -0- |
1995, Hog Farming, Minn. 6 | 67% | 8% | 8% | -0- | -0- |
1996, Minnesota State Budget 4 | 84% | 4% | 4% | -0- | -0- |
1996, Comparing Environmental Risks | 55% | 45% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1997, Electricity Future, Minn. | 81% | 13% | 6% | -0- | -0- |
1997, K-12 Education, Minn. | 67% | 25% | 8% | -0- | -0- |
1997, Dakota County, Planning 5 | 71% | 25% | 4% | -0- | -0- |
1998, School Bond, Orono, Minn. | 88% | 4% | 4% | 4% | -0- |
1998, Assisted Suicide, Minn. | 67% | 33% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
1999, Property Tax Reform, Minn. | 22% | 50% | 11% | 11% | -0- |
1999, Chatfield School, Minn. 5 | 61% | 28% | 11% | -0- | -0- |
2001, Citizens Initiative Review | 71% | 25% | 4% | -0- | -0- |
2001, Metro Solid Waste | 83% | 17% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2002, Global Climate Change | 89% | 11% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2005, Community Engagement, Australia | 81% | 19% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2016, Health Record Privacy in the UK | 74% | 21% | 5% | -0- | -0- |
2016, Informed Citizen Akron #1 | 75% | 19% | 6% | -0- | -0- |
2016, Informed Citizen Akron #2 | 76% | 24% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2016, Informed Citizen Akron #3 | 94% | 6% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2017, Minnesota Community Assembly Red Wing | 47% | 39% | 8% | 6% | -0- |
2017, Minnesota Community Assembly Willmar | 74% | 26% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2018 Forest of Dean Citizens Jury, United Kingdom | 100% | -0- | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2018 Winona County Energy Dialogue | 47% | 47% | 6% | -0- | -0- |
2018 Itasca County Energy Dialogue | 83% | 17% | -0- | -0- | -0- |
2019, Flats Arterial Community Panel | 41% | 44% | 9% | -0- | 6% |
1 Project not run by Jefferson Center
2 One juror did not vote.
3 One juror did not vote because taken ill
4 Two jurors absent at end, due to medical emergency
5 One juror did not vote because of withdrawing from the project.
6 Two jurors did not vote, for reasons not recorded by the college students in charge of the project.
For a few of our recent projects, we have the average participant ranking from a 5 point scale. The question remained the same: “One of our aims is to have the staff and volunteers of the Jefferson Center conduct the project in an unbiased way. How satisfied are you with their performance in this regard?” 5=very satisfied, 4=satisfied, 3=neutral, 2=dissatisfied, 1=very dissatisfied.
| Project | Average Rank |
|---|---|
| 2014, Morris Climate Dialogue | 4.3 |
| 2015, Itasca Climate Dialogue | 4.3 |
| 2015, Twin Cities World Wide Views | 4.6 |
| 2016, Winona Climate Dialogue | 4.2 |
At the Twin Cities Election Forum, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statements “I felt comfortable at the event” and “the meeting today was fair and unbiased. No particular view was favored.”