Engaging Citizens with Mission Ocean and Waters

Conducting surveys is a way of obtaining information from citizens which requires minimal time commitment by informants (and by you). With surveys, you may reach a greater number of informants than with other methods and, ideally, get a large representation of opinions, needs or knowledge from the respondents. Additionally, surveying requires little training, in comparison to interviewing or other methods.

• Decide on your objective with the survey. Are you capturing quantitative or qualitative data (or both)? What it will the data be used for? How will it be analysed? Is a survey the best method to obtain the desired information? Will you have open-ended, closed-ended, multiple choice, like scale questions, or a combination?
• Decide on who will be your informants and the size of your sample. If you are aiming for wide representation, you might also need a strategy for surveying similar proportions of groups as the population as a whole. Alternatively, include questions on demographic characteristics so that you later may analyse responses with proportions similar to that of the general population.
• Depending on who you want to reach, decide on the format of your survey. Is it more appropriate to conduct it online or to print for manual use? An online survey may be an easier way to reach more people, but you might also have less control over the reach of your survey. It will also depend on how ‘digital’ your informants are. For example, if you are asking elderly to respond, a printed form may be more appropriate. If you decide on a printed survey, have a strategy for collecting responses.
• Prepare an appropriate number of questions. Try to balance the time commitment and the amount of information you need. Many will refrain from answering surveys that look very time consuming and complicated.
• Depending on which citizens you are seeking consultation from, it could be important to include questions that will give you information on residency or affiliation to the area or region you are exploring. Consider whether your survey will be anonymous or not, and the ethical requirements that follow.
• Test your survey with someone to get feedback before distributing it to your audience.
• Include questions from which you may identify whether you are following the Leave No One Behind principle⁹⁰.
• Write an information sheet or a paragraph that goes with the survey to describe its aims and the rights that the respondent has in terms of ethical considerations. Include your contact information in case of questions.

• If conducting an online survey: share on the communication channels you find will reach the most representative group of citizens. Share on many platforms if you require large amounts of data. If you are seeking responses from a specific group, share it directly with the group or find out where best to reach its members.
• If conducting a manual survey, investigate how and where you may reach the informants you aim to reach and how to make sure all have the same chance of responding.

• If you shared an open online survey, close the survey at the deadline. If manual, collect the survey responses as planned.
• For citizens to be informed about the outcome of their participation, share the results of your analysis and the impact of it on the platforms where the survey was distributed. If their contact information was shared in the survey, this information can also be directly shared with them. If you are open for it, give participants a chance to give feedback.

Citizens’ Assemblies (also called mini-publics) are often used to illustrate a method of direct deliberative democracy in a decision-making process⁹¹. In a citizens’ assembly, citizens can come together to discuss values, concerns, opinions regarding complex challenges, such as environmental issues and climate change. Although it is argued that not all aspects of how citizens’ assemblies are run can be defined as a deliberative decision-making procedure (e.g., voting), there are some issues which are so value-laden that reaching consensus is an impossible goal, so there needs to be a strategy to establish recommendations. Many versions of citizens’ assemblies exist, but it could generally be described as a body of randomly selected citizens that deliberate, and in some cases vote, on one or several issues that have implications at the citizen level ^92,93. Usually, it is a value based political problem.

Citizens’ assemblies may be established to improve legitimacy and public support of new and ambitious policies in line with Mission Ocean^94,95. This would create opportunities for the general citizen to participate in a decision-making process, for example, policymaking, and hopefully make for solutions that are more easily accepted by the public. Note that because of its relatively deep and long-term commitment, it may be challenging to get people to participate in citizens’ assemblies and stay committed.

Characteristics of a citizens’ assembly:

• Large (can be several hundred people, usually 100-200)
• Can be local, regional, national
• Requires a time commitment of up to one year with frequent meetings
• May be organized and sponsored by government or parliament, or civil society organisations. The Danish Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues recommends that the assembly is established by political decision-makers who pledge to consider the recommendations in policy making.⁹⁶

More detail how networking citizens’ assemblies to address the objectives of Mission Ocean & Waters is provided in Section 4.5 ‘Establishing a Network of Citizens’ Assemblies for Mission Ocean & Waters’.

Firstly, decide on the purpose of arranging a citizens’ assembly. What will the results be used for? Normally, citizens’ assemblies are set up to influence policy making. What is the scale of your citizens assembly – is it local, regional, national? See also Tables 1 and 7 in this toolbox for reflection questions. It is important to decide on the expected power of influence that the assembly will have on your Mission Ocean & Waters initiative or policy. It is advisable that the sponsor of the assembly (eg., Government) makes an official, formal commitment to the ways in which the recommendations/proposals will be influencing politics or other objectives of the assembly⁹⁷.

Set up an organizing team/overall facilitator or select an institution that will be responsible for the practical aspects of the citizens’ assembly. This team should be impartial to the greatest extent possible. Facilitators could also be recruited through the European Solidarity Corps portal (See Section 4.4), but make sure they have the necessary training for supporting citizens through the assemblies and taking notes.

The facilitator entity will plan the meetings (potentially together with members of the assembly), send out information to the members, plan presentations and invite experts, set up a voting system, and afterwards inform the members about the influence of the assembly recommendations on the policy process at hand. This team could also be responsible for reporting throughout the assembly process and publishing results. The organizers should also inform the public about the citizens’ assembly and how it is set up, as well as ensuring its transparency⁹⁸.

Select participants. The members of the citizens’ assembly should be selected randomly and be representative of the general population with regards to various demographic parameters. It could be a good idea to make the national statistics bureau responsible for the selection process, especially if the assembly is on the regional or national scale⁹⁹. A first step could be to survey the population on who would be interested to take part in a citizens’ assembly and then have a selection process. Advertise in the communication channels relevant to your target public.

• Find a suitable location for an assembly of >50 participants (depending on the scale of your targeted region). Alternatively, set up digital meetings in a suitable and accessible platform.

Prepare presentations or other forms of teaching (e.g., workshops) about The Mission topic, policy or project to be deliberated on, including different alternatives to be discussed. Learning materials may also be sent out before the first meeting. This is for all participants to have a knowledge base as a starting point for deliberating and advising decision-making processes. The learning material should include ‘all’ perspectives on the topic to be discussed in order for the assembly to understand the various viewpoints on the issue.

Set up an expert group tasked with quality checking the education materials, balance of views in stakeholder and expert presentations etc.

The citizens’ assembly meetings could include a series of events for Mission Ocean & Waters issue(s) to be discussed¹⁰⁰:

• Phase 1: Readings, expert and stakeholder presentations and debates, and discussions on topics and dilemmas, as a learning phase. Develop themes for the next phase. In the case of a large number of issues, consider a voting for prioritising themes.
• Phase 2: Working groups for each theme to develop recommendations on theme and sub-themes. These are run through a peer-review process within the assembly groups. Recommendations could also be fact checked by experts if desired.
• Phase 3: Referendum on recommendations and compile into a report for policy makers.

• The organizing team or members of the citizens’ assembly compile the recommendations into a report. This report could serve as an influence on a policy process or management strategy, depending on the purpose of the citizens’ assembly. The results could for instance inform the decision-making process of the issue discussed, or be part of a policy process etc.

Example:

The Danish Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues made recommendations on a range of issues, including land use, transport, popular education and agriculture, as input to the political process of Denmark’s national climate action policies¹⁰¹. Detailed descriptions of the process can be found in their report: Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities. (2021). The Citizens’ Assembly’s Recommendations. The Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Issues.

Scenario planning¹⁰² is a methodology with a range of processes that provide the opportunity to challenge our mental models about the external landscape that we operate within so as to inform and enhance decision-making. The methodology assists us to identify key factors in the operating landscape that are uncertain/will create uncertainty, and to understand how those factors can interplay with each other to describe plausible alternate descriptions of the operating landscape in the future. When facilitated with the intent to shape and challenge mental models, scenario planning is a powerful methodology for generating new ideas and insights that enhance decision-making. The process is not about prediction. It is about preparing us to understand and be accepting of uncertainty and complexity and to build these into our decision-making processes. The process is about developing our capacity to be able to navigate the external operating landscape in a responsive fashion.

In practice: Workshops for exploratory scenarios to co-produce knowledge with citizens/stakeholders and engage researchers. It is an inspiring way to get locally relevant narratives of change/about potential futures, to map uncertainty and to get a base for selecting robust management options.

• Decide on the objective of the workshop and make a detailed program. It is useful to have a scoping phase to explore the context in which the workshop will be held. This could be done through, for example, semi-structured interviews (see Section 5.4)
• Select time and location for workshop
• Identify and invite participants (see Table 2/ Table 7/ Appendix 1). Focus on diversity of voices. Be aware of power dynamics. Invite through direct contact if available. A great way to get people to come is if you already have established contact with key people you want to invite. This could for example be through conducting semi-structured interviews ahead of the workshop (see Section 5.4).
• For reaching the general public: Posters, newspapers, social media platforms. Posters may include QR-codes linked with more info about the project/activity. It is useful to include a digital sign-up sheet in order to better plan for number of facilitators needed, and to know how much food to order. If you are restricted in terms of space and food budget, you might need to find an appropriate way to select participants and aim for a representative selection.
• Prepare introductions. For example, a PowerPoint presentation with an introduction of your organisation and your project. Additionally, it is useful to go through a slide with the schedule of the workshop.
• Formulate focus questions for the discussions and group work (based on objective and context)
• Prepare a draft conceptual model – to inspire revisions from workshop participants
• Prepare ‘what if’-questions and wildcards/jokers (literature, scoping) to spark discussion in groups that struggle to get started with discussions
• Prepare registration and consent forms
• Prepare recommended equipment/material: Large papers/magic sheets, post-it notes, pens and markers.

• Introduction by facilitators (include meeting ‘ground rules’)
• Facilitated brainstorming about locally relevant drivers of change (or other topic relevant to your objective) – remember to take photos of written ideas (post-its) or record them in some other way
• Sort the ideas into categories
• Have the participants vote on for example the importance and uncertainty level of the categories from the previous steps
• Have a group work session on a topic relevant to your objective. For example: Synthesize previous steps to make a ‘model’ of local social-ecological system
• Introduce wildcards/what if-questions to spark discussion in groups that struggle to get started with discussions
• Make someone from each group report on their discussion in plenary
• Wrap-up and inform participants on the next steps of your project/initiative – invite participants to take part in writing the narratives/outcome report of the workshop
• Evaluation

• Synthesize: Put brainstorm insights into context of your project/initiative (e.g., basin-wide changes/marine and freshwater challenges in region)
• Revise conceptual model
• Write narratives of potential futures based on results and other relevant input
• Get comments from participants on synthesis, revised model, and narratives. Send out draft through email or other relevant communication platform.
• Evaluate workshop process and outcome (See Section 2.4 or 3.5)

• Scoping visits
• Identify citizens/stakeholders and concerns
• Interviews and workshop to identify relevant drivers of change
• Develop first outlook of different potential futures
• Interviews to refine narratives of potential futures
• Analysis of local input and insights from studies of changes (e.g., changes in marine/freshwater systems and biodiversity)
• Synthesize insights locally and across field sites if you are doing it several places

Example:

• Nilsson et al. (2017). Towards extended shared socioeconomic pathways: A combined participatory bottom-up and top-down methodology with results from the Barents region. Global Environmental Change, 45, 124-132. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.06.001

Semi-structured interviews are guided conversations/two-way dialogues with an open framework, often in an informal setting. It is a qualitative research method that is information rich, both in that the interviewer provides and receives information. It is a suitable method for understanding informants’ perspectives, experiences and situations from their point of view. It is also a useful method to use at the planning or beginning phases of a project or initiative¹⁰⁴.

A semi-structured interview may be conducted with one informant or with a group of informants. Semi-structured interviews are more time consuming and requires more facilitation skills than a one-way, structured interview does but can be more engaging and result in information relevant to the interviewee that may widen the scope of the investigation.

Remember:

• Superfluous information may surface.
• It takes practice to find a balance between an open and a guided conversation. The interviewer needs skills or training, especially when it comes to asking non-leading questions.
• During group interviews, interruptions may occur, and the conversation may go off topic

• Develop an interview guide with framework, topics and/or questions for conversation that covers the information you are seeking. Make sure to create open-ended questions that are not leading. Run the topics through your team and with someone who can check on the relevancy of the questions/topics.
• Make an overview of relevant informants and a procedure for selection of informants
• Practice interviews to get feedback on communication and listening skills
• Ask informants where and when they feel comfortable meeting for an interview
• Prepare the interview with precise information about the topic and other related information that might be needed during the interview
• Prepare relevant props to inspire conversation, for example maps.

• Greet your informant and introduce yourself in a friendly way. Be aware of your body language throughout the session.
• Assure that informants are aware of how the data will be used. Get permission to record the interview on tape or video if you will do so. Using a recorder may allow for a more natural conversation instead of the interviewer always having to look at their interview guide and appear unfocused on listening.
• Start with general questions/topics. Listen carefully and ask clear questions that may not be perceived as insensitive.
• Take brief notes to be elaborated on immediately after interview. Include notes on the atmosphere, the reactions to various questions etc.
• Interviewer obtains answers and can adapt their following questions accordingly. Questions from the informant will also arise during the interview – be open for questions, it is a dialogue.

• Analyze info at end of interviewing day. Could do this together with interview team.
• Transcribe audio recordings if you recorded the interview.
• Fact-check the interview notes with other sources or stakeholders
• Evaluate your interview guide and method to see if anything can be improved before new interviews
• Circulate results with informants for quality check, comments and feedback
• Share the impacts of interview results with your informants

Examples:

• Gómez-Ballesteros et al (2021). Transboundary cooperation and mechanisms for Maritime Spatial Planning implementation. SIMNORAT project. Marine Policy, 127, 104434. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104434.
• Henry et al. (2019). SIMNORAT - Potential approaches for stakeholder engagement on Marine Spatial Planning and outcomes of pilot testing (D14). https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.2597520
• Nys & Bailly (2018). Methodology guide for semi-structured interviews (p. 20). https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.25111.68002

A qualitative research method which involves interviewing in-situ and in-depth, connecting the informant’s responses with the spaces where they practice their work or recreational activities (in a context familiar and comfortable to them)^107,108. This method has similarities to that of semi-structured interviews.

Not strictly following an interview guide, but rather having some topics to discuss in mind, the information shared by the interviewee will be a result of where the conversation ‘takes you’¹⁰⁹. The spaces in which you walk could also be topics of conversation¹¹⁰. In this method it may not be appropriate or ‘natural’ to get out an interview guide and take notes while walking, because the interviewer will likely take part in an activity (such as mushroom or berry picking, fishing, etc.) or have a more informal conversation along the walk.

Walking interviews are useful for understanding citizens’ connection to space and cultural heritage^111,112. It adds a spatial component to the interviewing and may be a basis for coastal or marine planning purposes, as it shows how citizens use and experience the areas in question, or potentially what they wish for those areas to be in the future. It is a useful method to use for spatial planning and development, citizen science, ethnographic research, ecosystem service issues connected to space and historical and cultural projects, among others.

• Reflect on what kinds of data you will generate and record.
• If you wish to obtain precise location-based data, remember to bring a GPS device. Reflect on how precise the spatial data needs to be, depending on how important it is in your project/initiative. GPS may be problematic and complex in terms of ‘surveillance’ and power relations¹¹⁴. Ask participant for permission to register precise GPS location either throughout the interview or at some specific locations.
• If you will be audio recording the interview, bring a recorder. Remember to ask for permission to record/include it in your interview information/consent form according to ethical regulations.
• Prepare a few topics for conversation rather than a bunch of specific questions.
• Decide on whether the interviewees are to decide on the route walked, or whether the interviewer wishes to obtain information on interviewees’ various uses of spaces along a set route¹¹⁵. If interviewee is allowed to choose, decide on whether there is any boundary to the area to be walked. Address power dynamics with regards to where interviews take place.
• Prepare recommended equipment: depending on what data you want to obtain; a GPS device could be needed for registering spatial location. Audio recorder may be useful.

• Take photos along the walk.
• Mark specific spots in the GPS when relevant (if consented by participant).
• If audio recording, mention locations you walk on along the way as another way of mapping the information.

• Write down your notes from the interview, preferably immediately post-walk, in order to record information while fresh in memory.
• Give the interviewees the opportunity to read through and confirm the accuracy of the data you have transcribed to be used in your report or initiative
• The amount of information retrieved from the interviewee may vary according to your interviewee and their talkativeness. Getting the information, you are seeking will also depend on how much the interviewee will stick to the topic. It may become necessary to contact the informants for further, more focused, and formal interviews to fill in the gaps after the walking interview.

Example:

• Jones et al. (2008). Exploring Space and Place with Walking Interviews. Journal of Research Practice, 4.

Participatory mapping (not to be confused with the participant mapping you did when planning your citizen engagement project) is an inclusive and collaborative process in which citizens/stakeholders geographically map out information and knowledge about space and the use of spaces, for example in a land-use planning process ¹¹⁶, coastal or Marine spatial planning.

In this method, citizens/stakeholders can illustrate their uses of space, and their stories connected to those areas through a map. This can bring up land uses that may typically be ‘forgotten’ when categorizing land use in formal spatial planning processes – the use that cannot be categorized or the activities/ecosystem services that cannot be measured in monetary value but are central to the everyday life or wellbeing of communities¹¹⁷. It can also reveal what areas are accessible and not for different groups, as well as citizens’ perceptions of areas that are not necessarily in ‘use’ by them¹¹⁸. This may be useful for exploring what areas have an associated risk of conflict and can inform decision-making in spatial planning process¹¹⁹. Participatory mapping can also bring about new and alternative solutions to spatial challenges. It may be used as a tool for co-production of knowledge.

Furthermore, story mapping may be a great tool in a Mission Ocean & Waters initiative that entails historic use and local, cultural knowledge about space¹²⁰.

Multiple methods exist, some include digital mapping software (GIS platforms), others involve printed maps and markers, stickers, and post-its.

• Decide on which stage in the mapping process citizens are to be involved. What level of engagement are you seeking from them? This may be from the planning stage or it could be only for data collection or confirmation of land use registered in existing maps^121,122. Who has decision-making power throughout the process? (see Appendix 1, and Section 2.2/3.3)
• Decide on the format. Is it most appropriate to print out maps for analog mapping or to make a digital platform for participation? A combination? This will likely depend on the scale of the project and the number of citizens expected to be involved, as well as their access to digital platforms and/or distance to the area of interest.
• Consider the spatial resolution of printed maps in case of non-digital mapping workshop. A digital GIS tool generally allows for zooming in and out.
• Find a suitable location for mapping workshop. Attention to accessibility, distance (i.e., Leave No One Behind).
• Consider using household sampling as a method of recruitment. Passive recruitment/volunteer sampling may not be representative¹²³. Greg et al. (2018) recommends having as many participants as possible to improve representativeness and quantity of data to be analyzed.
• Prepare recommended equipment: Printed maps, post-its, transparent plastic sheets, pens and markers. Technical equipment: ArcGIS or open-source map, eg. QGIS, Geojson.io.

• Briefing – introduce the concept of story mapping as well as the topics for discussion/area in question/issues to be explored
• Facilitate the use of maps and info in maps for participants to contextualize their stories/experiences/knowledge

• Summarize and digitalize map(s) based on information from the process
• If relevant, write a report on information and knowledge input from the participatory mapping process
• Share maps and/or report with participants for feedback before finalizing and sharing with relevant stakeholders/institutions/policy makers or publishing

Examples:

• CCAT Closure Event (2023). Tools for engaging with local authorities. Coastal Communities Adapting Together. https://tinyurl.com/vaxkyp84
• Figueiredo et al. (2020). Community and participatory mapping in planning. https://tinyurl.com/y2a4z4ex
• Greg et al. (2018). “Using public participatory mapping to inform general land use planning and zoning.” Landscape and Urban Planning 177: 64-74.
• Greg & Vera Helene (2017). “An empirical analysis of cultural ecosystem values in coastal landscapes.” Ocean & Coastal Management 142: 49-60.
• Larzilliere et al. (2013). “Interactive scale models, a novel way of prompting constructive participation.” Bois et Forest des Tropiques. 67. 21-28.

An ocean literate society is one that ‘understands what the ocean does for us, and what we can do for the ocean’. It has been dubbed as the key enabling factor behind the success of the UN Ocean Decade, that strives to deliver ‘the science we need for the ocean we want’. Recognised as a mechanism for changing society’s relationship with the ocean¹²⁴, and it can also be used as a mechanism to success in your project – speaking to the hearts and minds of your participants through ten dimensions that together are believed to inspire positive action towards looking after our ocean.

Whilst traditional marine education is usually a top-down approach to inform citizens; the evolved concept of ocean literacy is one of bottom-up participation, with a toolbox of methods to collect local knowledge, experiences and co-produce resources. The evolved concept of ocean literacy can therefore be strategically utilised to connect your participants with Mission Ocean & Waters, the goals of your project and the part that different dimensions (Figure 13) can play through their participation. The authors note that this approach must be developed mindful of whether this method is considered ethical in local / project contexts. For example: Are you providing false hope of a positive change with potential of increasing ecoanxiety; or will co-created ocean literacy resources expose vulnerable people or inflame local conflicts.

It is useful to note that the global Ocean Literacy Research Community has developed a bank of freely available questions relating to the dimensions of ocean literacy¹²⁵, which can be adapted for your needs and local contexts. This survey has been undertaken in 12 countries so far at the time of printing for which the data will be made publicly available to inform or frame your projects.

More detail on ocean literacy as an example of a way to engage with Mission Ocean & Waters is provided in Section 4.2 ‘Ocean Literacy networks and campaigns as a tool for citizen engagement’.

• Ensure the project partners have a common understanding of the evolved concept of ocean literacy and are not considering conventional marine education as an engagement method.
• Consider can your project improve society’s understanding of what the ocean does for it, and what it can do for the ocean?
• Can you nurture this understanding during your participant engagement / dialogues through two-way interactions with participants / collaboration / co-development your project?
• Research the dimensions of ocean literacy¹²⁷. Through careful integration, how can these help to improve the input of knowledge (from participants) or delivery of knowledge to end users.
• Is it ethical to take this approach?¹²⁸
• Do you have the skills and resources to do this effectively?
• Establish clear goals to engaging using this approach, managing expectations with participants from the start.
• Develop specific methods using the guiding questions above, possibly using some of the methods described in the sections above, or utilising guidance from various ocean literacy toolkits and projects^{129 130}.

• Develop appropriate and sensitive activities, resources and tools, grounded in ocean literacy / environmental education / behavioural change research.
• Deliver activities and resources using skilled communicators and facilitators.
• Plan two-way dialogues – to capture the information from participants but also provide it back to the community (where appropriate).
• Develop a long-term dissemination plan with participants – how and where would they like to keep / display / disseminate this information?

• Evaluate success by considering how did you meet your goals / different dimensions of ocean literacy (Appendix 4)
• Feeback to participants, ensuring that their contribution is valued and providing them with new ocean literacy resources.

Examples:

• Kelly, R., K. Evans, K. A. Alexander, S. Bettiol, S. Corney, C. Cullen-Knox, C. Cvitanovic, K. de Salas, G. R. Emad, L. Fullbrook, C. Garcia, S. Ison, S. D. Ling, C. Macleod, A. Meyer, L. Murray, M. Murunga, K. Nash, K. Norris, M. Oellermann, J. Scott, J. Stark, G. Wood & G. T. Pecl. (2022). "Connecting to the oceans: Supporting ocean literacy and public engagement." Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries / https://futureseas2030.org/
• McRuer, J., Glithero, D., McKinley, E., Pagès, J., Fauville, G., Morris-Webb, E., Hart, N., Strang, C., Christofoletti, R., Hulme, S., Grainger, E., Pinheiro, B., Payne, D., Bridge, N., Lindoso, V., Machado Martins, I., Zandvliet, D., Bueno Fernandes, M., Bumbeer, J., & Shellock, R. (2025). Co-designing the Ocean & Society Survey–A Global Tool for Understanding People-Ocean Connections and Mobilizing Ocean Action. Ocean & Society.
• Morris-Webb, E. Kindlon, D & Borklund, C. (2025 in prep). Strategic ocean literacy: Ensuring European project activities meaningfully align with both their ambitions and the evolved concept of ocean literacy. In “Handbook of Inclusive Methodologies: How methods and methodologies contribute to inclusive and equitable coastal transition”, Edited by M. Gustavsson, S. Solnør and K. Rønningen. EmpowerUs Project.