The UPF hosts the pilot citizen consultation of the CONCISE project in which vaccines and climate change are discussed

After several months of preparation, the consortium of the CONCISE project meets on March 21 and 22 at the Studies Centre on Science, Communication and Society of the Pompeu Fabra University (Barcelona), to carry out the pilot test that will serve as a working guide for the five consultations that will take place in five European cities throughout 2019.

This trial has brought together a total of 20 citizen volunteers to establish a dialogue on through what channels they have shaped their opinion on vaccines and climate change. The objective of this pilot consultation is to define the most appropriate methodology to carry out the consultations in which the 100 citizens will participate in each of the five countries of the CONCISE consortium.

The citizen consultations are the central axis of this project that is funded through the Horizon 2020 program of the European Commission. Through these activities of citizen dialogue, the channels and mechanisms through which the EU citizens acquire their scientific knowledge and how they influence their beliefs, perceptions and opinions will be analysed. This analysis will ultimately determine the role played by science communication on these perceptions and beliefs. Therefore, the design of how these consultations have to be carried out and, therefore, the pilot tests that have just been carried out are decisive for the future of the project.

Two members of each partner from the European consortium have attended this event, organised by the UPF. Together with them, two members of the expert committee (Jose Pío Beltrán and Cissi Billgren Askwall), and a participant observer (Xavier Fonseca) have participated. All of them have been observing the development of the different sessions and have debated the variables that could condition the result of the consultations. Based on these tests and the subsequent debate, work guides will be set up to carry out a protocol in citizen consultations in Spain, Italy, Slovakia, Portugal and Poland.

Empar Vengut (UVEG)