Introduction: Amid declining trust in governments, public participation is presented as a means to build trust, engage citizens and enhance policy acceptability. Citizen assemblies are increasingly commissioned across Europe, but research on their signalling function remains limited.


Objective: We evaluate how informing the public about a prospective citizen assembly affects their perceived relation with their local government and fellow citizens, and the acceptability of future policies.


Methods: We conducted experiments alongside two Dutch citizen assemblies addressing housing and waste management. Large representative samples were randomly assigned to either receive information about the prospective assembly (intervention) or not (control). Participants completed an online questionnaire measuring trust in and connection to their local government, feelings of being heard by the government, and perceived polarization - among citizens and between citizens and their government.


Results and discussion: Results from Study 1 on housing indicate that informing participants about the citizen assembly improved their trust and connection with the government but had no impact on their views towards fellow citizens. A pre-registered study on waste aims to replicate and extend these findings by exploring changes in norms, acceptability of future policies and perceived responsibility to act. We discuss what public participation can signal in terms of citizen-government relations and policy legitimacy. We address theoretical and practical implications.