A Citizens’ Assembly is a group of randomly selected citizens who are brought together to discuss an issue in depth and come up with recommendations on what they think should be done. It is a form of so-called ‘deliberative’ methods – where the focus is on the deep, reflective conversation.
What distinguishes citizen assemblies (and other so-called deliberative methods) is that they provide ample time and space for participants to learn about an issue and discuss it among themselves before reaching a conclusion. The participants in the citizens’ assembly are tasked with discussing difficult choices and trade-offs. Citizens’ assemblies work best if the issue is broad and there are no obvious solutions.
Many citizens’ assemblies divide their work into three phases – learning, discussion/deliberation and decision-making. This work is supported by a team of impartial facilitators who help participants through the process. They also make sure that all participants get a seat and that everyone feels safe and comfortable in their role.
Participants learn about the issue by listening to various experts as well as through background information (for example in the form of documents or videos). The experts who present to the citizens’ assembly must reflect the different types of opinions that exist around the issue. There is also time for the participants to ask questions of the experts. The background material that the participants get to take part in should preferably be reviewed by an independent steering panel so that the information is not leading or biased.
In stage two (discussion), participants are encouraged to explore their own and others’ opinions about what they heard from the experts. Time is spent discussing among the participants. Experts are on hand to provide clarifying facts when needed.
In the final step of the citizens’ assembly (decision-making), the participants sit down to summarize what they have learned through the process and what recommendations they want to make to the decision-makers. It is important not to create a false sense of consensus in the citizens’ assembly – there are recommendations that have broad support among the participants, but minority opinions may also take place in the final report.
Many citizens’ assemblies are assisted by an independent advisory panel made up of various stakeholders. This supports the citizens’ assembly by coming up with ideas about discussion questions, process design, the information material and other issues. They have an important responsibility in ensuring that the participants of the citizens’ assembly get access to information that provides an overall picture and that is factually correct, balanced, and impartial.
Citizens’ assemblies have been used in many countries in the world, not least in English-speaking countries such as Great Britain, Canada and Australia to discuss various complex issues. A notable citizens’ assembly in Ireland, for example, discussed abortion rights. In recent years, citizens’ assemblies have been used on several occasions to discuss how cities and countries should respond to the climate crisis.
Citizen assemblies usually consist of between 50 and 250 participants. The participants are recruited so that they roughly correspond to the demographic composition of society (in terms of, for example, age, gender, background, education, etc.). In cases where random selection is not sufficient, participants with certain character traits can be recruited by other means.
Citizens’ assemblies are resource-demanding processes. The major expenditure items are:
A citizens’ assembly takes several days. Often, the organizers split the civic assembly meetings over several separate occasions so that the participants can go home and reflect and discuss with family members and neighbors. A citizens’ assembly can, for example, take place over four weekends to encourage reflection.