How to deal with scepticism? How to support people that struggle with participating to public and group situations?
RelatedAmplify Minoritised VoicesEmbracing Emotions & ConflictEnabling Spaces & ToolsCommunicating ComplexityMaking Policy Design AccessibleEngaging with Communities of InterestFuture Visioning
Scepticism towards climate assemblies can stem from several sources. One clear source is climate change denial, but distrust of institutions, participatory democracies and people’s ability to influence decision-making can also contribute to scepticism. On a personal level, a perceived lack of competence, negative experiences with participation, and a preference for avoiding group situations can also be discouraging. Such scepticism and fear of participation can result in people declining invitations or dropping out, which can undermine the core ambition of CCAs to ensure diversity and representativeness in policy- and future-making through sortition.
During the assembly, sceptical reactions can include disengagement, active questioning, or even trying to hijack the deliberation and decision-making process. Sceptical and hostile positions often occur in smaller groups, where facilitators play a key role in addressing the situation. One strategy for dealing with this is to embrace climate emotions and acknowledge the legitimacy of scepticism and dissent, rather than forcing consensus. Design choices such as diverse dialogue formats, combining remote/in-person meetings, and small/large group discussions, help prevent drop-out.
Early linkage to decision-makers to motivate participants and strengthen legitimacy by outlining how deliberations connect to political decision-making and commitments though clear implementation pathways Reaching Out to Overcome Political Apathy
Addressing climate emotions collectively to counter skepticism and fear by creating facilitated spaces for reflection. The Global Assembly on Climate Emergency, used exercises like “Expressing hopes and fears”, to encourage participants in sharing feelings and experiences related to climate change and reflections on their own life Global Assembly. Community Assembly Toolkit (p. 14)
Minority reports or recorded documentation of disagreements alongside recommendations ensure pluralism and legitimacy. Seeing like a citizen (p.7) The CCA and Stakeholder Forum South Tyrol documented non-consented proposals in its Final Report (p.116 ff.)
Introduce Devil’s advocate roles to challenge emerging consensus and engage skeptics.
Clear communication of expectations, procedures, and how moderation ensures that all voices are heard to build trust Communicating Citizens’ Assemblies OECD: Good Practice Principles for Deliberative Processes, CLIMAS Manual (7.4.2)
Preselected substitute participants to maintain representative composition through selecting selected alternates Alternates, Assemble!
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Boswell, J., (2021) “Seeing Like a Citizen: How Being a Participant in a Citizens’ Assembly Changed Everything I Thought I Knew about Deliberative Minipublics”, Journal of Deliberative Democracy 17(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.16997/jdd.975
Curato, N. and Niemeyer, S. (2013), Participatory Capacity and Deliberative Engagement. Politics & Policy, 41: 355-383. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12015
Jacobs, K. (2024). Have a little faith in deliberation? Examining the effect of participation in a citizens’ assembly on populist attitudes. Contemporary Politics, 30(4), 512-533.
Machin, A. (2023). Democracy, agony, and rupture: A critique of climate citizens’ assemblies. Politische Vierteljahresschrift, 64(4), 845-864.
Mendy, Laila, Tatiana Sokolova, Fanny Möckel (2025). Being everything for everybody all at once: Facework for trustworthiness of a citizens’ assembly for the climate, Environmental Science & Policy, Volume 170, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104104.