Participant Views on Local Citizens’ Assemblies in Poland: A Comparative Study of Decision-Making Modes

Citizens’ assemblies (CAs) are gaining popularity in Poland, standing out in the landscape of Central Eastern European countries (Chwalisz 2019; Gherghina et al. 2020; OECD 2020; Podgórska-Rykała & Sroka 2022). Their organized and rigorous nature aligns with internationally developed practices (Gerwin 2018; Gąsiorowska 2023). Since 2016, 13 CAs have been conducted, with plans for more in the near future. These assemblies emerged as responses to the crisis of representative democracy and aimed to strengthen local democracy, especially during a period of weakening democratic institutions under right-wing populist governments in Poland from 2015 to 2023 (Pospieszna & Pietrzyk-Reeves 2024; Suteu 2019). As the support for citizens’ assemblies increases among local authorities and residents, there are plans to institutionalize CAs within the national legal framework. However, it is not yet sufficiently understood, how citizens view and assess these deliberative instruments (Christensen & von Schoultz 2018; Font at al. 2015; Goldberg & Bächtiger 2022; Grönlund et al. 2014; Kübler et al. 2023; Neblo et al. 2010; Pilet 2023), especially in CEE countries. Thus, the research aims to examine how support for assemblies, as a form of decision-making, compares with other decision-making modes. This includes assessing the preferences among assembly participants vis-à-vis citizens’ assemblies regarding their usefulness and effectiveness as a tool facilitating decisions on various local issues, such as urban climate policies. How does support for local citizens’ assemblies in Poland compare with other decision-making approaches such as referendums and elections? What are the preferences and perceptions of assembly participants regarding the effectiveness and usefulness of citizens’ assemblies in facilitating decisions on local issues among participants and non-participants? The study is based on two surveys conducted before and after climate-related citizens' assemblies in two cities in Poland: Krakow and Rzeszow, in 2023 (N=108). To capture nuanced perspectives, focus groups were organized among both participants and non-participants. The findings reveal positive evaluations by participants in CAs on aspects such as idea exchange, opinions among diverse individuals, and acquiring knowledge. However, there are also negative perceptions, including doubts about the tool's effectiveness in influencing city authorities' decisions and concerns about the allocation of public funds, both among experimental and control groups. The control group (non-participants) also expressed skepticism about the tool's effectiveness, perceiving it as a way for decision-makers to shift responsibilities onto citizens. They raise questions about the impact on city decisions, visibility of effects, and distrust in the selection process of CA participants, showing that the full realization and grasp of such a deliberative democracy tool are not fully understood by non-participants who have never had experience with citizens’ assemblies. In contrast, former participants in CAs strongly favor citizens’ assemblies for local issues, emphasizing their direct engagement with evaluating implemented policies. This pilot study sets the stage for further research and a national survey in Poland to investigate these dynamics on a broader scale.