Wilson, Nicholas (2025) Deliberation and Decision-Making in Public Participation: The Role of Agency in Shaping Policy Acceptance. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
Public opposition often hinders the implementation of sustainable mobility policies. Public participation is thought to improve policy acceptance, particularly when citizens have high levels of decision-making power and interaction, but empirical evidence on these assumptions and the underlying psychological processes remains limited. This study tested whether perceived agency mediates the effect of decision-making power on policy acceptance, and whether this effect is moderated by the form of deliberation (public vs. private). In a 2×2 online experiment, German residents imagined participating in a public meeting on an environmental parking levy. Participants were randomly assigned to either full decision-making power or a consultative role, and to public or private deliberation conditions. Having full decision-making power significantly increased perceived agency, which in turn positively influenced policy acceptance, supporting the hypothesised mediation. Decision-making power did not have a direct effect on acceptance, suggesting that the feeling of agency, rather than power alone, is key to fostering acceptance.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Perlaviciute, G. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route/Track: | Environmental Psychology (EP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Aug 2025 14:26 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Aug 2025 14:26 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5905 |
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