Citizens speak on the renewal of democracy | EU Policy Lab

A structured story process bringing citizen perspectives into European future foresight and policymaking.

• How do citizens imagine more meaningful ways to engage in shaping their shared

  future?

• What does it take for the youth to be more engaged politically?

• How is AI & automation shaping the democratic landscape?

• What kinds of leaders, systems, and safeguards are needed to earn public trust?

• Where do people see democracy heading - towards regeneration, or erosion?

  
  

Amidst major global shifts — geopolitical conflict, climate disruptions, and the rapid rise of AI — questions about legitimacy, fairness, and adaptability are becoming increasingly urgent. This is a critical moment to listen to how people across Europe imagine the future of democracy.

Approach

This project, led by the EU Policy Lab with support from Voices That Count, uses narrative foresight to explore democratic renewal from the citizen’s perspective. Out of more than 4,000 personal stories submitted across the EU, around 10% were analysed in depth for their relevance to democracy and governance.

Each story was first interpreted by its author using a structured framework powered by

SenseMaker, a methodology that captures both narrative and self-signified data. This

combination enables grounded insights into how people perceive power, trust, voice, and responsibility in the future.

Outcomes

The stories highlight a wide range of proposals, from citizen assemblies, digital voting, and AI-assisted participation to more radical ideas, such as decentralised governance or non- human representation in decision-making.

While there is strong interest in new democratic tools, the stories also reflect concerns about surveillance, exclusion, loss of control, and the unintended consequences of automation. People express a mix of curiosity, hope, and scepticism - especially around the role of institutions, emerging technologies, and the boundaries of political inclusion.

These insights will inform the design of upcoming foresight workshops and scenario

processes organised by the EU Policy Lab. They will also support reflection on future models of governance and democratic engagement within the European Commission.

By making citizen perspectives visible and usable, this work contributes to more responsive and forward-looking policy thinking on the future of democracy in Europe.

#OurFutures is an open-data base, designed by the Competence Centre of Foresight of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, to inspire a collective dialogue about the future of Europe. More information here.  

Want to contribute your own vision?

Anyone in the EU can write a short story about what they hope to see in Europe’s future. You can participate anonymously in any of the 24 EU languages. Organisations can also host a workshop using the same tool—we’re happy to support you in setting one up.

All stories become part of a growing, open dataset that can inform future policy and research on what kind of Europe citizens want to build together.