About us
Climate Citizens is a research group based at the University of Manchester. Our academic focus is on how we can enhance climate action by improving how the public are involved in policy making and implementation.
We explore what really lies behind public support for policies (not just opinion polling), and how facilitating good democratic conversations can generate better policy ideas, increase trust in leaders, and help hold them to account. Our research also provides decision makers with policy-relevant information based on people’s lived experiences, evidencing the public mandate for more ambitious climate action.
Our context
At the centre of our work is a core belief that policies are better when they are based on a dialogue between citizens and policy makers.
We think this is particularly important for climate-related policies for three main reasons:
Efforts made to reach carbon neutrality, as well as adapting to the impacts of a changing climate, will require significant changes to how people live their lives.
Recent research has found that in addition to other sectoral-based policies, substantial behaviour change is required across society to reach the UK’s net-zero 2050 target, with 60% of reductions needing to come from ‘consumers’.
We think people should have a say in what that change looks like, and that the way they are included in policy creation and implementation matters too.
Those impacted by policy in a democracy should get a say about the policies that govern them. If people don’t support policies, or don’t see the process of policy making as legitimate, there is likely to be push back. Policy changes will not then happen because politicians will not implement them.
People hold valuable information which is useful for making sure policies are effective.
Engaging the public in dialogue about climate policy options can provide a richer understanding of what people want to do and are willing to support. This is particularly valuable as climate change can be a topic that is notoriously difficult to engage with and translate into everyday life.
Our research
Developing a rich understanding of how people’s contexts shape their attitudes towards climate policies and policy making.
Examining mechanisms to embed meaningful deliberation in how climate policies are made and implemented.
Exploring the norms and practices of climate policy making, to better understand which groups have their voices heard and which do not, and collaborating with policy partners to identify opportunities to improve processes and ensure more successful outcomes.
Critiquing different types of interventions and their impacts in order to theoretically assess their capacity to react to and help shape the democracies we are in, and the varying degrees to which we can direct these democratic shifts.
How we do research
We work on many different topics with people from all walks of life and various worldviews to ensure that we have the biggest picture possible to then know how to best include the public in decision making.
The checks and balances that we have in place ensure our research is fair and open-minded – our personal policy preferences shouldn’t influence the way in which we talk about policy support.
Our interdisciplinary approach allows us to dig deeper into why the public support particular policies, what is important to them in policy design, and what faith (if any) they have in government to enact change. This versatile understanding helps us collaborate with our policy partners in developing and trialling approaches that reflect public support and will work in the real world.
We’re experts with in-depth knowledge on climate policy and policy creation, conducting most of our research in the UK with UK policy makers, organisations, and the general public. Our methodologies ensure that our research insights can be used in other contexts too, beyond just the UK and climate-related issues.
Funding
Climate Citizens is supported by:
