An examination of two mechanisms of public engagement in central Newfoundland

• Main Author: Wilton, Peter
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2014
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/8305/; https://research.library.mun.ca/8305/1/thesis.pdf

This project is an examination of two types of engagement mechanisms, online and in-person focus groups, used in a large multi-sector public engagement initiative held in Central Newfoundland, between February and July 2013. Each mechanism is evaluated according to a seven point evaluative framework which was developed by the researcher and includes data collected from surveys administered to participants and key informant interviews with the organizers of the initiative. Components of the evaluative framework included resource accessibility, task definition, independence, likelihood to participate again, representativeness, fairness and expectations of the organizers. Overall, focus group participants felt much more positive about the criteria of task definition, independence, fairness and were much more likely to feel strongly about participating in a similar initiative again. While both engagement mechanisms tended to be unrepresentative of the population of Central Newfoundland, due to the low level of participation for the online component, it is difficult to conclude which mechanism better represented the demographic make-up of the population. Initially, organizers felt very positive and optimistic about the online component. After the initiative, however, they discussed ways of improving the online experience and reiterated their support for using two mechanisms of engagement for future initiatives.