Age was a vital aspect of diversity that was easier to address. Contacts with local high schools and colleges were usually productive, providing some of our most enthusiastic participants. Of the 700-plus people on the original mailing list, about 450 attended at least one project event. About half attended more than one, and the core of regular participants was about 200. People on the self-selected list of Inquirer volunteers were more likely to stick with the program than those recruited through the Annenberg survey, but many of the Annenberg recruits were loyal participants.
Diversity is a goal worth pursuing.
Many Citizen Voices said a chief benefit of the project was the opportunity to talk to people of different backgrounds, views, and neighborhoods whom they'd never otherwise meet. But analysis of transcripts of the Citizen Voices forums showed that the longer these participants stayed with the project, the more likely they were to express opinions to the group and to back them up with fact and argument. Such people can often have as many enemies as friends in that community and having your project associated too closely with them turns off as many people as it attracts. Also, if the context of your effort is a mayoral race, it's vital to know whether any of the community leaders you're contacting are aligned with a given candidate. In your opening pitch to a potential forum participant, stress early and often that they are being invited as individuals whose views will be valued for their own sake, not as representatives of their race or ethnic group.