Participation can only be meaningful when it resonates with those it’s designed to serve. Governments and platforms like ours may have good intentions, but at the end of the day, the true measure of success lies in the experiences of the residents.
Are they feeling empowered to participate? Do they trust the process? Are their voices being heard and acted upon? These are critical questions to assess our impact. To find answers, we surveyed members from our clients’ communities.
Creating the space for participation
Across regions, participants shared consistent voting patterns and highlighted several positive aspects of the participation experience facilitated by our platform:
The platform is a safe space
The platform is easy to use
I feel that I can be more engaged through the platform
High or moderately high trust in government by population group
% of population, 2023
OECD data from 2024 shows that getting a say in government actions is one of the most significant drivers of trust in government: 69% of the individuals who feel they have a say in government actions also state they trust their (national) government, compared to only 22% among those who feel excluded.
It even outweighs socio-economic and demographic factors such as financial security, education levels, and feeling of belonging.
But just asking for feedback is not all it takes.
Cases
There are governments already excelling in these areas. Below, we spotlight two inspiring cases from the Go Vocal community demonstrating how good communication, transparency, and closing the feedback loop can transform engagement into a trust-building and meaningful experience.
How Copenhagen got 18,000+ residents to participate in large-scale Proposals project
In 2024, we saw the first resident Proposal make it all the way to the Danish capital’s councillors’ debating chamber and into law, guaranteeing treatment to adults who grew up in homes with substance abuse. With 18,000 participants and counting, the city is using our platform to mobilize residents to flex their democratic muscles, driving civic participation from the bottom up.
What sets Copenhagen apart is its clear internal process for handling proposals, ensuring each step is structured and transparent. This process is communicated effectively to residents through a thorough and accessible explanation of the project and participation journey available on the platform. The city also leverages our tag system to provide real-time updates on where each proposal stands, and every proposal receives an official update, reinforcing transparency and trust in the process.
Building trust through transparent engagement in Magdeburg
The German city of Magdeburg’s redevelopment of a historic district demonstrates the power of transparency in fostering trust and meaningful participation. The city used a hybrid approach, combining in-person workshops, public exhibitions, and a Go Vocal platform to reach diverse demographics.
Three key strategies stand out. First, the city simplified complex urban planning information and effectively leveraged our platform’s page builder, enabling informed participation for all residents. Second, the hybrid model engaged a wide range of age groups, from younger participants online to older residents at in-person events. Finally, the process remained consistently transparent, with regular updates and comprehensive reports directly visible – and not only hidden in a PDF to download – on the platform. This way, residents could understand how their feedback shaped decision-making.
These efforts inspired 350 households to engage in the project.
Trust takes years to build,
seconds to break
Our commitment to transparency compels us to confront the uncomfortable truth that there are persistent frustrations over the gap between current engagement efforts and resident expectations.
While only a minority of community members expressed it explicitly, there’s general dissatisfaction and perception that too many engagement projects are still "checkbox exercises" rather than genuine opportunities to influence policy and decision-making.
They are mainly let down by the information governments share about the project, transparency on the impact they can still have, and the closing of the feedback loop:
- Community members experience a disconnect between participation and visible outcomes, leading to skepticism around the effectiveness of their engagement and whether decision-makers truly value community input
- Community members feel frustrated and excluded because of opaque decision-making processes, mentioning that it seems like engagement often comes too late in the process to influence meaningful change
Reflection from our team
This resident feedback isn't just data points to us. Behind every answer, an individual is calling for positive change, and we're committed to listening. By acknowledging these challenges openly, we strengthen our commitment to authentic engagement and lay the groundwork for more meaningful participation.
While this feedback is a reality check, it reinforces the importance of our mission. We're embracing it as a call to action to develop our platform further, facilitate meaningful engagement, and support our clients even better. At the same time, we find hope and energy in the fact that more people are choosing to participate – an encouraging sign that communities want to be involved and make their voices heard.
The path to truly effective community engagement may be complex, but with persistence, innovation, and genuine commitment to improvement, I’m confident in our ability to help create more responsive, transparent, and impactful participation processes.”
CEO & Co-Founder
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