Civic Websites and Community Engagement: a Mixed Methods Study of Citizen Empowerment Initiatives

Abstract

This paper examines whether the Web and particularly a new breed of civic action sites operated by non-governmental actors provide a new pathway into wider community and political participation. Using an innovative mixed-methodology we conduct a qualitative and quantitative over time analysis of the users of four civic action sites developed by mySociety, an online UK non-profit organization The key question posed is whether the highly targeted or ‘particularized’ actions that these sites promote such as contacting a local council have a spill-over effect in terms of mobilizing less engaged individuals into a wider range of participatory actions. Alternatively are they attracting and reinforcing the resource bias of the most active citizens? The results are mixed in that they confirm that users of these sites are typically more aware and engaged than average. However, it is also clear that they have integrated these tools into their existing repertoire of engagement and this reinforces their feeling that they can have an impact on their wider communities. Overall the study suggests that involvement in collective rather than individual approaches to resolve problems is most likely to further increase individuals’ levels community engagement.