AWWA ACE60012

Once considered ground-breaking, public participation has made the leap to the mainstream of environmental communication programs. Agencies often rely on public participation programs to help shape environmental mitigation, gain acceptance of environmental analyses and demonstrate an overall commitment to their environmental missions. In its growing acceptance, however, the practice of public participation has gotten ahead of the development of a solid, research-based foundation. Public participation is just one example of this phenomenon. The communication field abounds with edicts and "best management practices" developed without the benefit of solid research. This paper discusses how theories derived from qualitative research can and should be tested before applying to prescriptive practices. An example is presented from a study initiated in late 2002 and completed in June 2003 testing concepts of effective public participation through an 800-person random digit dial telephone survey. The study debunks one of the most commonly held principles of effective public participation. In doing so, the study shows that however intuitively satisfying and commonly accepted a concept may be, it cannot be considered valid until tested through a scientifically rigorous research model. Suggestions are made about applying the model used in the example to other commonly held beliefs about environmental communication. Finally, ideas are presented for gaining access to cost-effective quantitative research for the purpose of expanding the body of knowledge in the field of communication. Includes 16 references, tables, figures.