"Citizens' assembly has proven its worth"
Four out of five Germans welcome citizens' assemblies as an instrument of democracy. And the first citizens' assembly appointed by the Bundestag, "Nutrition in Transition", was "successful in the sense of the decision to set it up". These are two key findings of an evaluation report that has been presented by the Institute for Democracy and Participation Research (IDPF) at the University of Wuppertal and the opinion research and consulting institute Verian on 3 July 2024.
"The Citizens' Assembly instrument has proven its worth in its first major practical test. And the report contains some clever suggestions for improvement for future citizens' assemblies," explains Roman Huber, Managing Director of the Mehr Demokratie organisation. We can build on this.
High approval rating for citizens' assemblies
The researchers measured a "high level of approval for the citizens' assembly format" among the population. Four-fifths of those surveyed consider the establishment of the Citizens' Assembly "Nutrition in Transition" to be a "very good" or "fairly good" idea. As many as 85 per cent are in favour of the Bundestag appointing citizens' assemblies on other topics in future.
Many participants in the first Citizens' Assembly also drew a positive balance: 96 per cent agreed with the statement that, all in all, the Citizens' Assembly was a positive personal experience for them.
Citizens' Assembly has provided answers
In its decision to set up the mini-public, the Bundestag had formulated questions to which the Citizens' Assembly had actually provided answers. The Citizens' Assembly thus successfully and completely fulfilled its task. Overall, the report also assesses the organisation of this first Citizens' Assembly positively, even if it identifies some potential for improvement for any future Citizens' Assemblies. For example, migrants were underrepresented in the Citizens' Assembly on Nutrition. According to the researchers, this problem could be solved through outreach activities. This means that potential participants are motivated to take part in a personal dialogue and their doubts are taken seriously.
The Citizens' Assembly "Nutrition in Transition" was the first mini-public appointed by the Bundestag. It was attended by 160 randomly selected citizens. At the end of February 2024, the Citizens' Assembly presented its recommendations to the members of the German Bundestag in the form of a citizens' report.
Most important demands
The most important demand is a free lunch for all children in schools and nurseries. Other demands include a state label for climate, animal welfare and health and a reform of food taxation.
Background