Following IDEA’s successful Deliberative Town Hall with the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, we were approached by Chris Shaw, Clerk of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Commons, U.K. Parliament, and the lead official on the establishment of Climate Assembly U.K. Multiple Select Committees within the House of Commons. They were keen to deepen real public engagement with them and to reach out beyond the interest groups and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) – who regularly submit evidence to inquiries – to converse with a representative sample of the population, most of whom would not ordinarily stop and consider policy challenges which may be complex but affect them directly. For IDEA, the chance to investigate what policy and other impacts Deliberative Town Halls could have in a parliamentary context was extremely exciting.
In January 2023, IDEA began collaborating with staff from the Northern Ireland and Home Affairs select committees. Each Committee dealt with a different target population and made various decisions, which IDEA could adapt to the DTH method to help them address.
Northern Ireland DTH on Updating the Good Friday Agreement
In 2022, in anticipation of the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of the U.K. Parliament conducted an inquiry to comprehensively assess the progress and effectiveness of the democratic institutions established by the Agreement. Despite encountering challenges such as the persistent impasse in the Northern Ireland Assembly, there was an opportunity to address the limitations in the current governance structure and explore potential improvements. Additionally, demographic and political shifts provided an opportunity to consider how the governance model can adapt to better represent the evolving landscape of Northern Irish society.
The Committee partnered with IDEA in January of 2023 to conduct a Deliberative Town Hall to explore these issues and potential reforms, which the Committee hoped to be able to include data from in the report on it as part of their official communications on the anniversary. IDEA collaborated with YouGov’s U.K. online panel to recruit a representative sample of constituents. They first participated in a pre-survey, including essential background information on the Good Friday Agreement and a knowledge check component. Survey participants were randomly assigned to either a treatment or control group to mitigate self-selection bias. Constituents in the treatment group, about 500, received additional background information and were invited to join the online Deliberative Town Hall held on March 8, 2023. The event featured key political figures such as MPs Simon Hoare (Conservative), Claire Hanna (SDLP), Jim Shannon (DUP), and Stephen Ferry (Alliance).
Over 270 constituents participated in the Deliberative Town Hall, with the majority actively engaged for at least an hour. After the event, constituents in both treatment and control groups completed post-surveys, mainly mirroring the pre-survey. This enabled IDEA researchers to track shifts in opinion resulting from the deliberative process.
Key Insights
Stable Governance: Over 70% of participants felt the Good Friday Agreement failed to ensure stable governance. This view strengthened slightly after an extended discussion during the town hall.
Cross-Community Governance: Agreement that the Agreement had successfully enabled cross-community governance increased by 13% after the town hall, with 40% of constituents affirming this view.
Institutional Change: 70% of attendees across all demographics believed significant changes to the institutions created by the Good Friday Agreement are needed. The discussions during the town hall reinforced this sentiment.
Power Sharing: 75% of participants viewed the current cross-community support mechanism as problematic, leading to unaddressed issues due to party vetoes.
Devolved Government: Over 60% of participants affirmed the importance of devolved government in Northern Ireland.
Priority of Stability: Stability was the top priority for most attendees, with cross-community concerns ranked lowest and further deprioritized after the town hall discussions.
Impact on Views: 75% of participants reported that the town hall significantly impacted their views on the Good Friday Agreement, highlighting the sensitivity and importance of the issue.
Value of Deliberative Events: An overwhelming 96% of attendees valued deliberative events like this, advocating for their regular use in the legislative process to enhance democratic engagement.
Impact
The Deliberative Town Hall led to a significant increase in trust and approval toward the Northern Ireland Affairs (NIA) committee, with trust levels rising by approximately 200% and approval ratings seeing nearly a 300% increase. There was also a modest 5% increase in approval for the U.K. Parliament; however, most participants, especially Nationalists, remained skeptical of Parliament. The effectiveness of this deliberative approach is further underscored by the fact that 96% of attendees found such events valuable for democracy, advocating for their regular inclusion in the legislative process. Additionally, 70% of participants believed that committee members were genuinely interested in their feedback, with over 40% indicating that the event helped them reconsider their views on the Good Friday Agreement—an impressive outcome given the deeply rooted nature of opinions on this issue.
This Deliberative Town Hall was a key addition to the broader inquiry into the Good Friday Agreement, producing several insights "that probably would not have surfaced through the normal processes of gathering information," as Chris Shaw wrote after the event. "There was overwhelming enthusiasm for a strong voice being given in the design of any new political institutions to those not identifying with one of the two main communities." The NIA committee staff also noted that it added an important sense of legitimacy to be able to say to the public that they had engaged a scientifically representative sample of the constituency in advance of taking any action.
Home Affairs Committee DTH on Policing Priorities
In spring 2023, amidst increasing public scrutiny and declining trust in the police, the Home Affairs committee in the IDEA also collaborated with the U.K. Parliament’s Home Affairs committee to host a Deliberative Town Hall as part of a broader inquiry into policing reform. The DTH was designed to gather public opinions about policing priorities and to explore potential avenues for restoring public trust and effectiveness in policing. With over 1300 constituents from England and Wales participating, this initiative aimed to engage citizens in meaningful dialogue about where police resources should be focused, what reforms were necessary, and how to balance the complex trade-offs involved.
Key Insights:
- Neighborhood Policing: A commanding 75% of participants supported increased investment in neighborhood policing, with consistent support across all demographic groups. Men, older people, and Labor constituents were slightly more likely to back this policy.
- Support for Victims of Crime: Post-Town Hall, there was a 10% increase in participants who felt police should not expand their role in supporting victims. Younger, Muslim, and non-white participants were more supportive of victim support, while older and white participants were less supportive.
- Vetting Process: Approximately 90% of participants agreed on the need for police officers to have consistent vetting processes. Support remained high post-discussion, with women and younger attendees slightly more inclined to strongly agree.
- Training and Development: Consistent with opinion on the vetting process, 90% supported more standardized training and development for police. Women, younger people, and Black and mixed respondents were especially strong supporters.
- Prioritize Areas with High Crime Rates: Support for prioritizing high-crime areas increased 6% post-Town Hall. However, there was significant opposition among those identifying as “other” in ethnicity, with nearly 70% generally disagreeing.
- Economic Crime and Fraud: Many participants were unsure about focusing on economic crime and fraud, with 35% disagreeing and 28% agreeing. Muslims were more supportive of this policy, while older people showed less support.
- Nature of Police Misconduct: Opinions on whether police misconduct is systemic or due to a few bad officers were evenly split. However, there was a 7% increase in the belief that misconduct is systemic, particularly among women, younger people, and non-white participants.
- Treatment of Minorities: A large majority of participants agreed that ethnic minorities are treated worse by police than white citizens. This belief was firm among younger, non-white, and Muslim participants.
- Community Building or Crime Solving: Support for police involvement in community building decreased by 7% post-Town Hall, although community policing as an approach was still strongly supported.
The Deliberative Town Hall provided a valuable platform for citizens to express their views on policing priorities and engage in meaningful dialogue about the future of law enforcement in the U.K. The findings from this event highlighted a strong desire for improved vetting and training, a return to neighborhood policing, and a cautious approach to expanding police responsibilities. Participants were clear that the integrity of individual officers is crucial, and better screening of applicants is required to identify possible “bad apples” earlier. One participant suggested, “Like Jury service, can members of the public be involved in interviewing?” Reflecting on the need for a more community-oriented police force, another participant noted, “We need to go back to local policing and visible foot patrols as it will deter crime and give peace of mind to the public.” These voices underscore the importance of transparency, accountability, and community engagement in rebuilding trust with all communities.
Impact
The Home Affairs Committee published its final report for the inquiry in June 2023, and included data from the DTH as part of it. The U.K. government took action on several policies that had strong constituent support in our data:
In response to the Committee’s citing the statistic from the DTH data that 90% of constituents believed that police should invest in more consistent processes for vetting officers and staff,” the Home Office “asked the College of Policing to strengthen the statutory code of practice for police vetting, making the obligations all forces must legally follow stricter and clearer.” An updated code was published on 20 July 2023. The Approved Professional Practice (APP) guidance on vetting is due an update “later [that] year.” Other changes to the vetting and training processes were also made due to the salience of the issue in the DTH.