Using deliberative methods to understand travel choices in the context of climate change

This paper reports on a two-year study in England with the overall aim to find out what the public understands by climate change and how they see transport contributing to it. The research involved a longitudinal study with 140 participants split into five different socio-economic life stage groups in different parts of England. Each group took part in five deliberative events where the participants were given the opportunity to express their views in an open forum, to challenge each other and to direct the information they received and activities they took part in. While these events formed the core of the project, it is well understood that there is a gap between stated intentions and actual behaviour and the project therefore also required the participants to complete four one-week travel diaries and two psychographic questionnaires through the course of the study. The information from the travel diaries was processed into carbon consumption and fed-back to the participants as part of the study. This paper describes the research process and presents some of the materials which were developed and used in the study. It then reflects on what each element of the research methodology brought to the study and the combined impact of using the different methods both during the study and in interpreting the findings. The paper concludes by addressing the strengths and limitations of the deliberative approach not only in studying climate change and transport but also broader policy issues.