Spencer Kimball, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Emerson and Director of Emerson College Polling
WHAT’S YOUR BIG IDEA?
To create a transparent, trusted worldwide opinion network.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Addressing the globe’s biggest challenges will require input and collaboration from a large, diverse group of people.
Spencer Kimball has some strong opinions.
Specifically, he has thoughts on how to tackle the kinds of complex global problems that have long vexed our society. His idea is to create a worldwide opinion network through which researchers, scholars, analysts, academics, policymakers, advocates, and the general public could come together to weigh in on, debate, and ultimately address society’s most pressing issues.
“It would be a robust global network,” said Kimball, associate professor of Communication Studies and director of Emerson College Polling.
The idea is based on Thomas Jefferson’s belief that the truth will always prevail in a free marketplace of ideas. “Fostering the marketplace of ideas is essential to our democratic principles here in the United States,” Kimball said.
His worldwide opinion network would incorporate different elements. There’s the research and data division, which would be responsible for data collection, “making sure we’re gathering from diverse populations.”
There also would be a platform for members of the general public to answer questions about and give opinions on current events in real time—“a hub for gathering different ideas and creating conversation.”
Another aspect would include an expert panel of scholars, researchers, and policy-makers to look at the credibility of research being put forth in the network.
And then there would be the policy and impact advocacy piece. “We’d engage with policymakers, embassies, general counsels, UN committees, [and others] to advocate for evidence-based solutions,” he said.
Finally, the network would be built on a commitment to transparency. “We would have the highest standards,” Kimball said. “It would be peer-reviewed and publicly accessible.”
“Most of these ambitions mirror the ambitions we have at Emerson College Polling,” he added, referencing the College’s nationally ranked, nonpartisan polling center.
He envisions the worldwide opinion network looking at everything from global issues, like climate change, and major conflicts, such as war, to smaller local issues, such as traffic.
“It’s aimed at fostering collaboration to address the challenges of our day,” Kimball said. “This network would serve as a nexus for the immediate gauging of public opinion.”
