It has long been held that public deliberation can foster the civic activism required for a healthy democracy. However, the claim has not been rigorously tested. Using a follow-up study of participants in six events of civic deliberation in Taiwan, this paper constructs objective indicators to measure the long-term effects of deliberation on political participation. It is found that the participants' levels of political engagement did not significantly increase after deliberation, and that participants who were members of public-interest associations have higher levels of political participation and are more likely to increases political engagement after deliberation. The paper concludes that it is the opportunities of participation offered by social interactions in daily life, rather than the one-time experience of deliberation, that are more likely to foster civic activism.