The Impact of Citizens’ Assemblies on Democratic Resilience: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Many democracies experience declining political trust, a rise in populism, and increased susceptibility to conspiracy theories. We examine whether citizens’ assemblies can effec- tively address these challenges and strengthen democratic resilience. We implemented a field experiment in collaboration with an NGO and Members of the German Bundestag. Our study compares 435 randomly selected constituents from six electoral districts, who participated in citizens’ assemblies with their Bundestag representatives, to a control group of 2,748 randomly selected constituents from the same districts. We find that citi- zens’ assemblies have a substantial positive effect on political trust, political efficacy and political participation among participants. Additionally, we find suggestive evidence that the intervention reduced receptiveness to conspiracy theories, especially when multiple political parties are present at the assembly. These findings have significant implica- tions for the debate on democratic backsliding and the role of deliberative democracy in strengthening democratic resilience.