Who deliberates, Who Doesn’t? An Intersectional Analysis of willingness to deliberate.

In recent years, citizens’ assemblies (CAs) have emerged as innovative platforms aimed at developing better policies and fostering a more inclusive and participatory democracy. However, in practice, citizens assemblies often fail to counteract intersectional inequalities that hinder equitable participation. An intersectional framework provides a rich and nuanced basis for the analysis of participation in citizens’ assemblies. Drawing on data from the UNDPOLAR survey (N=11218 across nine European countries), this study examines how intersectionality shapes willingness to deliberate, with particular attention to historically marginalised and disempowered groups, and identifies which factors exert a stronger influence on their willingness to deliberate. This research contributes to our understanding of barriers to the participation of intersectionally marginalised citizens in citizens’ assemblies and how participatory mechanisms can better address systemic intersectional inequalities, providing insight into making governance more inclusive and effective.