Tomorrow’s Europe – The first ever Pan-EU Deliberative Poll®

What would European citizens tell us about the future of the EU if they had the opportunity to discuss and think together about the issues?

The EU is experiencing a deep crisis of public identity in a world that is undergoing radical transformations.
• Whether one is in favour of less or more EU integration, it is vital to understand what EU citizens really want for the future of the Union.
• To achieve this understanding, we need to give citizens the opportunity to deliberate together beyond national borders.

Tomorrow’s Europe is a Europe-wide Deliberative Poll® that will:
• Build a space for a true deliberation
• Allow a representative microcosm of European society to exchange views on European matters, discuss issues with experts and political leaders, and express an informed opinion.
• Develop new methodologies for measuring and understanding public opinion within the European institutions.
• Put citizens at the heart of the process by involving them in the definition of what is to be debated and in the assessment of the methodology.
• Promote a true long-term dialogue between citizens and EU institutions.
• Introduce Deliberative Polling® on an international scale as an instrument that enables ordinary citizens to develop informed opinions on current EU policies and events.
• Set an example and develop a methodology for future transnational deliberations.

Tomorrow’s Europe - A proven methodology and yet a world-first Deliberative Polling® consists of:
• A traditional poll of a representative random sample of citizens. This asks both opinion and information questions.
• A sub-sample of volunteer representative respondents are given impartial and balanced information reflecting the different opinions in the debate.
• At a two-day deliberation event volunteers discuss the issues face-to-face, first among themselves and then together with experts and political leaders representing the full range of positions.
• Finally, the participants are again polled. Results reflect increased information and opinion evolution during the deliberation. A control group poll provides comparative data.

Since 1994 Deliberative Polls® in the US, Australia, the UK, Denmark and across the world have demonstrated that this method reduces participants’ indecision. Compared to the rest of the population their opinions change significantly. DPs are widely covered by the media and well received by participants and the wider public. To date, DPs have been held successfully in over 25 countries, but never on an international scale.

This project is carried out by an international consortium led by Notre Europe, a think-tank seated in Paris.