25.06.2024Citizens' Assembly 2025 discusses rising healthcare costs

The "Citizens' Assembly 2025" will address the urgent issue of rising healthcare costs. The 100 people who will take part in the Citizens' Assembly from November 2024 were drawn by lot today. The project - a collaboration between the Universities of Zurich and Geneva - aims to find out to what extent a Citizens' Assembly can contribute to the quality of public debate and to finding political solutions. The research project is being coordinated by the Centre for Democracy Aarau.

Healthcare costs have long been a key concern of the Swiss population. A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Democracy Aarau in collaboration with the Federal Statistical Office and gfs.bern shows that over 40% of respondents would like to raise the issue of rising healthcare costs in the Citizens' Assembly - ahead of energy supply, neutrality policy, pension funding and European policy.

"Measures to reduce healthcare costs have been negotiated intensively in political bodies and with the numerous players in the Swiss healthcare system for many years. The political parties are also working closely with their grassroots, the public and civil society to find solutions to this challenge, which affects us all. I am very excited to see what new impetus the Citizens' Assembly will bring to the debates," says National Councillor Melanie Mettler, member of the National Council's Social Security and Health Committee and part of the Citizens' Assembly's political support group. The political support group with members from all six major parties accompanies the Citizens' Assembly in its preparation and exchanges views with the participants drawn by lot.

Public opinion-forming
Prof. Dr Daniel Kübler, co-initiator of the project at the University of Zurich, says: "The Citizens' Assembly offers the opportunity to conduct a constructive dialogue within a group that represents the population in all its diversity about what it considers to be important in terms of healthcare costs". A central aim is to stimulate an open and informed discourse on rising healthcare costs and thus contribute to opinion-forming. The question of interest is: What conclusion does an independent group of randomly selected people come to when analysing measures to reduce healthcare costs? By communicating these results, the aim is to put the public in a better position to form their own opinion.

Pensioners next to young people
In order to reflect the diversity of the Swiss population and to include different opinions, a two-stage random procedure was used. 22,000 people were invited to take part in the Citizens' Assembly. From the registrations received, 100 people were drawn by lot today who are as diverse as possible in terms of age, gender, education and political views. "The Citizens' Assembly reflects the diversity of opinions and experiences of the Swiss population," says Prof Dr Nenad Stojanović, co-initiator of the project at the University of Geneva, adding: "These are normal, independent people with no lobbying interests: Electricians sit next to kindergarten teachers and pensioners next to young people on the Citizens' Assembly." This is the great advantage of such lottery procedures.

The public is also invited to have their say on the issue of rising healthcare costs. They can use an online platform to express their priorities and areas of focus. The proposals with the most votes will then be presented to the Citizens' Assembly for discussion.

To summarise briefly: The "Citizens' Assembly 2025" research project is investigating new complementary forms of democracy. A national Citizens' Assembly brings together 100 randomly drawn residents from all over Switzerland to discuss rising healthcare costs. The Citizens' Assembly offers the opportunity to engage in a constructive dialogue within a group that represents the population in all its diversity about what it considers to be important.