With the establishment of the first state-wide citizens’ assembly, the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament is sending an important signal for greater democratic participation in North Rhine-Westphalia. Listening, justifying one’s own convictions, tolerating other opinions, developing new perspectives – these are the hallmarks of citizens’ assemblies – and ultimately of our democracy.
From April to June 2026, 80 randomly selected citizens will discuss the topic of intergenerational public services. The focus will be on a key question for the future: ‘How can digital progress and the use of AI support self-determined living into old age, even when illness or care needs arise?’
In addition to topics such as digital participation, generation-friendly living and local care and support, participants also discuss the opportunities and limitations of using modern technologies in prevention, care and support in finding care places.
The nexus Institute, together with ifok, was commissioned by the President of the North Rhine-Westphalia State Parliament to design and conduct a total of six meetings.
The random selection of participants is intended to ensure that a wide variety of opinions and ideas are represented in the Citizens’ Assembly: To this end, 20 towns and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia will first be selected at random, ensuring a balanced distribution across the five administrative districts and different municipality sizes. In a second step, 5,000 citizens will be selected – also at random – from the registers of these municipalities and contacted by post. From the responses, a group of 80 citizens will be selected on the basis of socio-demographic criteria, which will roughly reflect the population of North Rhine-Westphalia on a small scale. In addition to age, gender and educational background, regional origin and the size of the respondent’s own municipality are also taken into account.
The Citizens’ Assembly will take place over a total of seven days, four of which will be held on site in Düsseldorf and three digitally via video conference. In moderated small groups, everyone will have the opportunity to contribute, exchange ideas and learn from each other. The discussions will be accompanied by presentations from experts and stakeholders, as well as a trained team that will respond to the various needs and wishes of the citizens.
Further information can be found here.
Duration: 11/2025 – 12/2026
Client: Landtag Nordrhein-Westfalen
Team: Dr. Christine von Blanckenburg (Project manager), Felix Schürhoff, Alexander Haro Hasprich
Project partner: ifok GmbH
Photo: Robert Boden (archive)