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Bristol Citizens' Panel

Method(s) Used


Name of person who posted the project:

Edward Andersson


Location of project:

United Kingdom


Date when the project started:


Date when the project ended/project ongoing:


Background to project:

The Bristol Citizens' Panel was established to keep the council informed about public opinion, and is promoted as 'Bristol's biggest think-tank'.
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Purpose of project:

The purpose of the panel is to provide a cost effective way of capturing the views of the public on a variety of issues.
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Project activities:

A random sample and interviews were used in late 1998 to recruit 2,200 panellists that mirrored the population of the city as a whole.
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Since then, the Citizens' Panel has been asked more than six hundred questions, ranging from issues like recycling to whether or not Bristol should have a directly elected Mayor.
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Over the years new panellists have been recruited to replace inactive panel members. Each year the Panel receives up to three questionnaires, which can either be completed on paper or electronically on the council website.
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Project results:

The results from the Citizens' Panel are regularly fed into decision-making, and the panel has also featured in the local and national media.
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Panel members are kept informed of the results of the surveys via the panel newsletter "Feedback" and results often appear in the local media and are all available on the council website.
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Contact details:

Bristol Citizens' Panel
The Council House
Bristol City Council, College Green
Bristol
BS1 5TR
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consultation@bristol.gov.uk
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www.bristol.gov.uk/citizenspanel
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