Citizen Space.
Run calls for evidence online.
Citizen Space is trusted by governments, departments and independent inquiries to run important, high-profile 'call for evidence' processes.
From reviewing product safety to achieving net zero carbon targets, public bodies around the world have used Citizen Space to collect insight on vital issues.
Citizen Space is a powerful digital platform for gathering evidence and input. Request a demo to find out more.
What is a call for evidence?
A call for evidence is an information-gathering exercise that seeks expertise from people, organisations and stakeholders with knowledge of a particular issue.
Calls for evidence are used within several different democratic processes, such as Royal Commissions, public inquiries, legislative reviews, and parliamentary committee decision-making. Typically, they involve:
- A broad theme or issue
- Publishing terms, key questions and scope
- Gathering testimony from interested parties and stakeholders with direct experience of an issue, policy or industry
- Creating detailed reports and recommendations based on findings
- Equipping policymakers with what they need to make informed, evidence-based decisions
Citizen Space: secure and scalable
Citizen Space is a powerful engagement tool that’s been used by governments around the world to run calls for evidence online.
Organisations use it to gather testimony on a range of big-ticket issues, such as gender identity services, mental health, digital poverty, climate change and many more. With powerful analysis tools and the ability to support tens of thousands of responses, Citizen Space is the trusted platform for getting the evidence you need.
Request a Free DemoEvidence-based decision-making is an important element of a democratic system, and calls for evidence form a vital step in the making and changing of policy or legislation.
Gathering evidence from earthquake victims
Citizen Space for the Earthquake Commission Inquiry
A natural disaster
New Zealand has always experienced frequent earthquakes, and they have a state-owned insurance body dedicated to supporting victims of the resulting damage called the Earthquake Commission (EQC).
However, following a devastating, magnitude 7.1 Christchurch earthquake in 2010, the EQC’s response was heavily criticised and years later, thousands of citizens were still waiting for their claims to be resolved. Because of this, a Public Inquiry was set up to look into the EQC’s response to the disaster and make recommendations for future improvements.
They chose Citizen Space
Because so many people were impacted by the earthquake - nearly a tenth of New Zealand’s total population - the Inquiry team needed a tool that was accessible across broad demographic ranges, and able to support a huge volume of evidence and supporting documentation as part of its core functionality. Given the sensitive nature of many of the comments, watertight personal data security was also a must.
Citizen Space is by nature accessible, being fully optimised for use with screen readers and other accessibility software. It’s powerful enough to handle thousands of responses, and efficient, easy-to-use analysis features keep processing times to a minimum, even with high volumes of submissions.
Request a Free DemoPeople have generously given their time to detail their own EQC experiences and provide their views. I was moved by what people have gone through and, in some cases, what they are still experiencing as they work to get their lives back on track.
Dame Silvia Cartwright, Chair of the Public Inquiry into the Earthquake Commission
Show you're listening
A call for evidence isn’t about presenting the public with a fait accompli. It’s about listening to people’s unique experiences and insight. Increase trust by communicating with your respondents about what outcomes were chosen based on their input.
High profile calls for evidence with Defra, UK
Citizen Space for the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
High-profile calls for evidence
Defra has been running calls for evidence on Citizen Space since 2013. The topics range from huge, broad subjects, such as a call for evidence on the environment and climate change or waste strategies for the whole UK, to sector-specific ones such as agricultural mortgages and repossessions.
Holding up to media scrutiny with Citizen Space
Many, if not most, of Defra’s calls for evidence achieve national and press attention, particularly those on emotive or contentious topics like plastic pollution. Because of this, it’s important that they’re run on a platform that is robust enough to handle high volumes of traffic and spikes in interest due to media coverage.
Citizen Space supports high traffic volumes, as well as unlimited response numbers. It also supports unlimited site admins, so different departments can log in to the system and create their own democratic activities.
Request a Free DemoThe views, data and case studies we receive will be vital to helping to inform future government policy in this area including by better understanding the trade both at home and abroad.
George Eustice, UK Environment Secretary
Compliance to the highest standards
Citizen Space is the trusted platform for hundreds of governments and departments worldwide. That's because it's designed in line with key usability and security standards, so you can take your public engagement online with confidence.
Join organisations like the Scottish Government, the UK NHS and the Australian Government Department of Health in running your calls for evidence with Citizen Space.
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