Abstract
Deliberative democracy is gaining attention due to its potential to overcome complex social issues. For effective deliberation, it is important for participants to get information, understand the others and deepen their opinions. We analyzed the results of a questionnaire survey distributed before, during, and after a conducted next generation energy workshop and focused on the characteristics of the individual and the group on the factors that affect opinion change. The results indicate that opinion change is related to the degree of interest expressed in the issues, similar to what previous research suggests. However, the study at hand, which was conducted in Japan, further suggests that opinion change occurs not mainly through interactive participation, but rather by passive participation. Therefore, it is important to create favorable conditions, so that all participants can benefit from the discussion and participate in effective deliberation.
