Case

Online citizen participation for long-term strategy in corona policy

The government published its long-term corona strategy on April 1, 2022. For this, the government needed information about what goals Dutch people want to achieve with the strategy. The Behavioral Unit of the RIVM asked us to conduct an online consultation. This allows the government to make policies that better meet the needs of citizens.

What did we research?

What should the government do if a new variant emerges that makes many people sick? And what if a less severe variant emerges? What goals should the government actually try to achieve with the measures? We answered these questions with a Participatory Value Evaluation (PVE). PVE is a method that facilitates large-scale citizen participation. It gives the Dutch government insight into the values and preferences of its citizens.

Who participated in the study?

A total of nearly 5,000 Dutch citizens participated. This group reflects Dutch society in terms of age, gender and education level. They participated via our online civic participation platform Wevaluate. They could do this at home and when it suited them.

What does the RIVM do with the results?

The results of our research were incorporated into an advisory report by the Behavioral Unit of the RIVM. Ernst Kuipers, Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), referred to this advice in the letter to parliament. He recommended that our research and the RIVM’s advice should be used in the further elaboration of the corona strategy.