Psychology Beyond Borders

In Australia, IDA was known for its use of deliberative opinion polling, an approach to polling which incorporates focused small-group discussions conducted over a multi-day meeting and is considered by its theorists to provide a superior measure of informed public opinion than other forms of polling. Working with the Australian national and local governments, IDA conducted deliberative polls in Australia covering the topics of whether Australia should become a republic (1999); reconciliation between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians (2001); the formation of a bill of rights for the Australian Capital Territory (2002); and parliamentary reform in South Australia (2003). In 2007, a national deliberative poll on Australian Muslim/ non-Muslim relations was convened in Canberra.

IDA's international work focused on the psychology of terrorism. In August 2004, IDA brought together 90 of the world's experts on managing fear and terror to develop a menu of strategies for managing the psychology of fear and terror from the individual to the global. These strategies were published in a White Paper, Managing the Psychology of Fear and Terror: Strategies for Governments, Communities, Individuals and Service Providers, and a film, Beyond Fear: Finding Hope in the Horror. In September 2006, this documentary was screened on Capitol Hill as part of the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks. The four congressmen who co-chair the two congressional caucuses dealing with mental health co-hosted the screening, and additional screenings were planned in the parliaments of other countries.

IDA conducted also research in political psychology using traditional social scientific methods. This research includes investigations in identification and voting behaviour, the role of women in boards of directors, and the response of populations to large-scale attacks or natural disasters.