Reframing Citizen Participation: Turning Barriers into Guiding Enablers

Paivi Abernethy (), Katriina Soini, Joy Ommer, Janne Artell, Titta Tapiola and Antonio Parodi ()
Additional contact information
Paivi Abernethy: School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada
Katriina Soini: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Joy Ommer: Kajo Services, Sládkovičova 228/8, 014 01 Bytča, Slovakia
Janne Artell: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Titta Tapiola: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
Antonio Parodi: CIMA Research Foundation, 17100 Savona, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-21

Abstract: Citizen science is increasingly recognized as a potential catalyst for sustainability transitions, climate action, and behavioral change by fostering collaboration between scientists and the public. While it offers benefits such as mutual learning, awareness raising, and improved outcomes, sustaining long-term diverse engagement remains a challenge. Research to date has largely emphasized data outcomes and initial participation, often overlooking the relational, social, and practical dimensions crucial for continued involvement. A disconnect persists between researchers’ data-driven goals and participants’ personal motivations, compounded by insufficient training and institutional support for engagement. This paper presents a novel framework for enhancing citizen engagement, drawing on a state-of-the-art literature review and focus group insights from the H2020 I-CHANGE project. It identifies enablers for and barriers to participation, reframing the latter as opportunities for support. The findings are organized into four themes: (1) call for participation, focusing on intrinsic motivation and local relevance; (2) project design, highlighting inclusive tools and communication; (3) a collaborative process, emphasizing trust, clarity, and support; and (4) participation benefits, including meaning, recognition, and social connection. This study underscores the need to build trust, foster relationality, and align expectations. It proposes practical engagement criteria and calls for deeper exploration of the relational foundations of citizen science.

Keywords: citizen science; barriers; effective engagement; enablers; participation; research design; assessment criteria (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8720/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8720/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8720-:d:1760147

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().