# FILE NAME: 00001190.soc
# TITLE: Should we move to a form of direct democracy meaning that people vote directly on issues via referendums? [943a2ffd595622e5e512dcedb9e77a54]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - “We have debated the issue of moving towards a form of direct democracy, where people directly vote on issues through referendums. We have decided that it would be best to move towards this form of democracy. However, it is important that before this is implemented, the public is educated on the issues at hand to make sure that the public has a good understanding of what they are voting for. This would mean that the final decision that is made would be the best decision for the country. It is also important that the government makes sure that the voting process is efficient and does not waste a lot of money as it would be bad if a lot of money is spent but the public’s opinion is not taken into account. We also think that this will allow for more active citizen participation in decision-making processes, giving us the people a greater sense of involvement in our government. There is also the possibility of more people becoming interested in politics, and hopefully this will lead to a higher voter turnout.”
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - “We have debated the issue of moving towards a form of direct democracy, where people directly vote on issues through referendums. We have decided that it would be best to move towards this form of democracy. However, it is important that before this is implemented, the public is educated on the issues at hand to make sure that the public has a good understanding of what they are voting for. This would mean that the final decision that is made would be the best decision for the country. It is also important that the government makes sure that the voting process is efficient and does not waste a lot of money as it would be bad if a lot of money is spent but the public’s opinion is not taken into account. We also think that the process should encourage more people to vote and get more involved in the political process. This would be good as the more people that vote the more representative the outcome would be.”
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - “We have debated the issue of moving towards a form of direct democracy, where people directly vote on issues through referendums. We have decided that it would be best to move towards this form of democracy. However, it is important that before this is implemented, the public is educated on the issues at hand to make sure that the public has a good understanding of what they are voting for. This would mean that the final decision that is made would be the best decision for the country. It is also important that the government makes sure that the voting process is efficient and does not waste a lot of money as it would be bad if a lot of money is spent but the public’s opinion is not taken into account. Not only that but it is important to make sure the issues brought up to the government are important enough to put as a referendum. It is important that all potential views are presented and people are given an open-mind so that they can come to their own conclusions.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - Final consensus statement: “We have debated the issue of moving towards a form of direct democracy, where people directly vote on issues through referendums. The majority of the group agree with this, and see that this has a lot of benefits. It would mean that the general public has the power to actively participate in issues, rather than passively hearing from their representatives in Parliament. It would also be beneficial because there would be increased political engagement, as it would mean that more people are likely to vote as they will feel that their opinion matters and the result will be what they want and so they will have more of an incentive to vote. It is, however, essential that the general public is informed and has a good understanding of the issues involved so that they can make the right decision for the country. Although there is a lot of support for direct democracy, some participants do not think that the general public should be involved in the decision-making and would prefer it if the politicians and representatives did it. This view is held because some participants believe that the general public does not know enough about the issues to make good decisions and will not be able to be politically neutral and so will not make the decision that is best for the country.” Discussion
2: 4,3,2,1
1: 4,1,3,2
1: 3,2,1,4
1: 2,1,3,4