A foot in the door? The impact of a real-world deliberative process on citizens’ attitudes toward deliberative mini-publics (DMPs)

Abstract

Abstract This study examines whether exposure to a deliberative mini-public (DMP) shapes citizens’ attitudes toward this specific form of democratic innovation. Using panel surveys conducted before and after Luxembourg’s 2022 Climate Assembly (Klima-Biergerrot, KBR), we compare three groups: participants (direct exposure), informed non-participants (indirect exposure), and uninformed non-participants (no exposure). Our causal mediation analyses reveal a “foot-in-the-door” effect: when political authorities organize a national DMP, it boosts public support for future DMPs and increases willingness to participate. This effect is powerful when coupled with a positive evaluation of the outcomes and, to a lesser extent, of the process itself. While participants show the greatest attitudinal shift, informed non-participants also exhibit a weaker but similar trend. Overall, organizing a national DMP helps familiarize citizens with deliberative practices and strengthens their legitimacy, thereby contributing to the “deliberative wave” becoming eventually a lasting democratic trend rather than a short-lived experiment.