Citizen’s panel participants and city councillors discussed equality and non-discrimination

The Vaasa Citizens’ Panel represents a new way of involving residents in the city’s decision-making.

In the citizens’ panel, a randomly selected group of Vaasa residents discussed equality and non-discrimination in small online groups of around ten people in March.

The findings from the panel will be used in preparing the City of Vaasa’s new equality and non-discrimination plan for 2026–2029.

Citizens’ panel participants met city councillors

In the Vaasa Citizens’ Panel, a new model was piloted alongside citizen deliberation, bringing together citizens’ panel participants and city councillors.

At the joint event, participants had the opportunity to ask members of the City Council questions they had developed together during the small-group discussions.

– Citizen participation can sometimes feel a little disconnected from municipal decision-making. The joint event of the Vaasa Citizens’ Panel represents a new way of linking the citizens’ panel to the work of city councillors. The councillors can, for example, help ensure that the views of citizens’ panel participants are taken into account in decision-making, says Professor Kaisa Herne of Tampere University.

At the joint event, participants put questions to the councillors, including on the following topics:

• Positive segregation funding for schools
• Support for Food Aid
• Free meals for children and young people in the summer
• Mentor-coordinators for immigrants
• How the city can protect women and children from harassment and violence
• How the city plans to tackle homelessness

Participation in the citizens’ panel shapes opinions

At the event on Monday 20 April, researchers from Tampere University and Åbo Akademi University presented to participants how the majority opinion had evolved as a result of taking part in the citizens’ panel. The researchers’ findings are based on questionnaires completed by participants before and after taking part in the citizens’ panel.

– Citizens’ panels have been organised widely both in Finland and abroad, and we know that participation usually influences opinions. The Vaasa Citizens’ Panel also gives us insight into how interaction between participants and city councillors may influence participants’ experiences, explains researcher Marina Lindell from Åbo Akademi University.

What is the Vaasa Citizens’ Panel?

• A citizens’ panel on equality and non-discrimination, organised jointly by the STRONG research project and the City of Vaasa.
• An invitation was sent to 20,000 Vaasa residents selected at random.
• The small-group discussions were held online 23–27 March 2026.
• A total of 92 Vaasa residents, randomly selected from among those who had registered, took part in the small-group discussions.
• The moderator-led small groups (10 in total) included 6–12 participants each.
• The discussions were conducted in Finnish, Swedish, or English.