Three in four municipalities had a designated position that elected representatives can turn to if they are subjected to threats, hatred, or violence. At the same time, four in ten municipalities decided to increase responsibility for the security of elected representatives. Nine in ten municipalities had a citizen council, seven in ten municipalities arranged at least one citizen dialogue in 2019 and six in ten municipalities had an option to submit a citizen proposal. Virtually all municipalities used social media.

Security for elected representatives in the municipalities

New questions in the survey dealt with positions that handle threats, hatred, and violence against the elected politicians. Among the municipalities that responded to the survey, 185 of them, corresponding to 76 percent, answered that the municipality clarified to the elected representatives where they could turn to for support in matters regarding threats, hatred, and violence. A smaller proportion of municipalities, 42 percent, stated that they had decided to increase their responsibility for elected representatives’ working environment and security in their representative positions.

Citizen dialogues, citizen proposals and public question time in the municipalities

Citizen dialogue is defined as possibilities for citizens to communicate directly with elected representatives and officers in the municipalities, for example in the form of dialogue meetings, focus groups, or citizen panels. In the municipalities that took part in the survey, 73 percent held one or several citizen dialogues in 2019. Among those that held a citizen dialogue, 38 percent stated that it was possible to participate via the municipal website.

Citizens can also raise questions in the municipal council - this is called a citizen proposal. In total 149 municipalities, that is, 60 percent of those who answered the question, stated that it was possible to submit citizen proposals to the municipality in 2019, which is 12 percentage points less than in the previous survey.

A new question in the survey dealt with whether there were any electronic proposals in the municipalities and regions. An electronic proposal refers to an idea or a proposal from a citizen that is published on a website and that other citizens can support through some form of digital signature. Electronic proposals were present in 20 percent of the municipalities.

Another new question in this survey dealt with whether the municipalities had a public question time during council meetings. In total 64 percent of municipalities stated having question time. Public question time was more somewhat more commonly held at all council meetings, 38 percent, compared with selected council meetings, which 26 percent of the municipalities did.