Citizens’ Panel 2026

A Citizens’ Panel is a discussion forum where a group of citizens focuses on a social or political issue and discusses it in small groups, with the support of a moderator.

Before the Citizens’ Panel, participants receive an information package that is designed to provide balanced information on the topic and help them consider it from different perspectives.

The purpose of Citizens’ Panels is to complement representative democracy and increase citizens’ participation in decision-making.

Examples of previous Citizens’ Panels include the 2019 panel on a possible municipal merger between Mustasaari and Vaasa, the 2020 panel on urban planning in Turku, and the 2021 panel organised by the Ministry of the Environment on the preparation of Finland’s national climate policy.

The Citizens’ Panel will focus on three themes related to equality and non-discrimination:

• regional equality and the situation of people with low incomes
• gender equality
• non-discrimination of people a migrant background

The discussions in the Citizens’ Panel provide the City of Vaasa with valuable insight into residents’ views.

The viewpoints expressed in the discussions can be used to support decision-making on equality and non-discrimination, particularly in preparing the City of Vaasa’s 2026–2029 equality and nondiscrimination plan, considered by the City Council.

For participants, the Citizens’ Panel offers an opportunity to influence the new equality and nondiscrimination plan and to learn how to voice their opinions on the topic alongside other participants.

The Citizens’ Panel will be held online in March 2026.

The discussions will take place in small groups of around ten participants, each guided by a trained, neutral moderator.

To take part in the online panel, participants need a smartphone or computer, a microphone, and a webcam. We will provide remote technical support for the Citizens’ Panel both before and during the online meeting.

After the online Citizens’ Panel, participants will gather in a joint session to share their views on the panel and to hear the panel’s preliminary results.

At the same time, participants will have the opportunity to meet city councillors from Vaasa and ask them questions on themes related to equality and non-discrimination.

The Citizens’ Panel is organised by the City of Vaasa in collaboration with Åbo Akademi University, Tampere University, and the University of Vaasa.

The Citizens’ Panel is organised as part of the STRONG research project, funded by the Strategic Research Council of the Academy of Finland. The project aims to integrate citizens’ views and deliberation into representative politics, making them a part of democratic decision-making.

Anyone living in Vaasa who has received an invitation to the Citizens’ Panel by letter and completes the online registration form can sign up to take part.

A total of 100 people who have registered will be randomly selected to take part in the Citizens’ Panel.

The random sample is statistically representative of the city’s residents. Our goal is to bring together as diverse a group of participants as possible for the Citizens’ Panel.

Yes, each participant in the Citizens’ Panel will receive a €50 gift card.

To receive the reward, participants must take part in the small group discussions and complete the surveys.

Participants’ opinions in the Citizens’ Panel are measured through surveys conducted before and after the panel.

We also encourage those who do not wish to take part in the full Citizens’ Panel to complete the opinion survey included with the registration form.

Completing the surveys is valuable, as the information gathered will be used to help prepare the City of Vaasa’s new equality and non-discrimination plan.

All responses will be treated confidentially and anonymised in any publications resulting from the research project.