Case: Malmö Panel

1600 Malmö citizens help the politicians

More high-rise buildings, better air, but no car tariffs. That is how the Malmö citizens want the city according to the first answers in the Malmö panel, which were recently published. 1600 Malmö citizens are answering questions asked by the different political committees. It is therefore a sort of an advisory board where the inhabitants can make their voices heard between elections.

Malmö is a pioneer within e-democracy. The Malmö panel is specifically recruited for this purpose and is administered by YouGov. The surveys are to be conducted 2-3 times a year. The thought behind it is that the dialogue with the inhabitants should become a natural part of the work in the commune and create a good basis for decisions. The participants log on via the Internet just like in all other web surveys conducted through YouGov. Most people respond online and relatively few make use of the possibility to use a paper form in stead. The answers from the panel are compiled and are openly presented at “www.malmo.se/panelen”, so that everyone can see the results.

- It is positive that 60 percent of the participants are born in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s as it is usually difficult to get younger people involved in local politics, says Project Manager Grethe Lindhe, who is responsible for the Malmö panel.

- By asking the panel participants about their possibilities to influence we have gotten a sort of temperature on the democracy in the city, says Anneli Philipson, politically elected for equal rights and democracy. Malmö is focusing on new technology and e-democracy in order to get more Malmö citizens to find new ways to have an impact in their everyday life. It is important that we work with questions about democracy in many different aspects, says Anneli Philipson.

Source: YouGov News, Issue 31, February 2009