People want politicians to act with integrity, says citizens’ assembly

People feel frustrated, dissatisfied and concerned about how democracy is working in the UK today, according to a UK-wide citizens' assembly, hosted by UCL. Looking at public attitudes towards democracy, it calls for greater honesty, integrity and inclusivity from politicians. The Citizens' Assembly on Democracy in the UK, whose key results are published today, comprised 67 members, carefully selected to reflect the UK voting-age population in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, education, disability status, region, and political attitudes. It was conducted by the UCL Constitution Unit, working with Involve, the leading public participation charity. Assembly members concluded six weekends of intensive discussions by drafting statements summing up their feelings about democracy in the UK today. The words they most often chose were 'dissatisfied' and 'frustrated', followed by 'concerned', then 'hopeful' and 'disappointed'. The strongest theme was dissatisfaction and concern over a perceived lack of integrity among elected representatives.