Preferences for Institutionalizing Deliberative Mini-Publics: A Survey Experiment Among Citizens and Decision-Makers in Finland

What types of deliberative mini-publics would citizens and decision-makers be willing to include in political decision-making at the national level? Previous research suggests that most citizens view mini-publics as a complement to representative democracy and are reluctant to grant them strong empowerment (see e.g., Goldberg, Lindell & Bächtiger 2025). So what role, if any, should a mini-public have in the legislative process and law-making, and should they be institutionalized as a permanent part of political decision-making? Using two preregistered conjoint survey experiments in Finland, we compare the legislative and institutional roles preferred by citizens (n=2500) and decision-makers (n=1000) for deliberative mini-publics. To what extent do the preferences of decision-makers align with those of citizens? Through subgroup analyses, we will also explore the role of, e.g., trust, prior experience and familiarity with mini-publics, satisfaction with democracy, and ideology. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the institutionalization of mini-publics by examining the preferences of both citizens and decision-makers and analyzing the specific roles these bodies could play in the decision-making process.