Trivial Pursuits: Participant Views of Public Meetings

This study examines participants' views about government-sponsored public meetings held about local waste sites in 2 neighboring communities. Participants' responses to mailed questionnaires are supplemented by direct observation of meetings, interviews with people attending the meetings, and a review of newspaper coverage after the meetings. The results highlight patterns in participants' experiences, including generally low expectations of the meetings and their organizers, as well as an overwhelming belief that participants' comments would not make a difference in the decisions under consideration. Given that public meetings seem to lack credibility with participants, the conclusions examine why people still participate.