A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Beyond polarization and selective trust: A Citizen’s Jury as a trusted source of information




AuthorsSetälä Maija, Christensen Henrik Serup, Leino Mikko, Strandberg Kim

PublisherSAGE Publications

Publication year2023

JournalPolitics

Volume43

Issue4

First page 472

Last page488

eISSN1467-9256

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1177/02633957211024474

Web address https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02633957211024474

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/66354251


Abstract

In this article, we examine whether a deliberative mini-public can provide a trusted source of information in the context of a polarized referendum. Political polarization gives rise to selective distrust of those on the ‘other side’. The Citizens’ Jury on Referendum Options in Korsholm, Finland, was organized in conjunction with a polarized referendum on a municipal merger. Our analysis is based on a field experiment measuring the effects of reading the jury’s statement. We find that trust in all public actors was selective, that is, dependent on views on the merger, the Citizens’ Jury being the only exception. Overall, reading the jury’s statement increased trust in all public actors, including those perceived as being on the ‘other side’. With some caveats, our findings suggest that mini-publics can alleviate selective distrust in polarized contexts.


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Last updated on 2025-14-02 at 16:24