Project summary

At Carnegie UK, Democratic Wellbeing means that we all have a voice and choice in decisions that affect our lives. However, across the UK there is currently low levels of trust in our democratic systems and institutions. There is increased recognition that democracy and its institutions need to evolve to help rebuild connections and improve transparency between people in communities and those they elect to office. Participatory and deliberative democratic initiatives, such as citizen’s assemblies, can help to address these challenges.

This work began with undertaking research to improve our understanding of the impact of deliberative democracy and its contribution to democratic wellbeing in the UK.

We spoke with participants, commissioners and facilitators of deliberative democratic processes and found that these processes contribute to democratic wellbeing if they are designed and delivered to high standards of inclusion and accountability. If not, then participants in these processes may be left with lower overall levels of trust than they started with if they are told their views matter but are not informed about how they are acted on or taken forward. Without proper accountability, these initiatives risk being tokenistic.

Our research and engagement tells us that it is possible to address issues of public disconnect and a lack of trust in democracy if more engaging, meaningful and recurring opportunities are established and embedded for people to influence the decisions that most affect their lives.

This is why, throughout 2025, we are working to engage with and expose decision makers in UK parliaments and assemblies to the positive impacts of well-designed and delivered deliberative democratic processes. Increasing their use and adoption in the heart of UK democracies, and contributing to improving people’s democratic wellbeing.