How are the participants selected?
The Harris Interactive Institute was in charge of drawing lots for the 150 participants. Telephone numbers were generated automatically – 85% mobile and 15% landlines – and about 255,000 people were contacted between the end of August and the end of September.
The aim is to obtain a panel representative of the French population, according to the following criteria:
- gender : in accordance with the reality of French society, 52% of the Convention will be composed of women and 48% of men.
- age : 6 age groups, proportional to the age pyramid from 16 years onwards, have been defined.
- level of education : 6 categories were defined, in order to reflect the level of education of the French population. Particular attention is paid to the need to have a fair participation of people without a degree.
- socio-professionnal categories : the Citizens’ Convention will reflect the diversity of the socio-professional categories (workers, employees, managers…) within the French population. People experiencing extreme poverty will also be present.
- residency : based on the INSEE categories, the Convention will respect the distribution of people according to the type of territories in which they reside (major urban centres, outer suburbs, rural municipalities, etc.). People from so-called Municipal Policy Priority Districts (QPV) will also be present.
- geographical area : the Convention will also take into account the distribution of the French population over the metropolitan regions and overseas territories.
To guarantee the impartiality of the draw, the process was subject to bailiff control, under the supervision of the Guarantors and the Governance Committee of the Citizens’ Convention.
This was message that the Harris Interactive Institute’s used when they contacted people in order to select the 150 citizens:
“The Citizens’ Convention on Climate announced by President Emmanuel MACRON is organised by the Economic, Social and Environmental Council. The objective of this convention is to go further and faster in the fight against climate change and to give more space to citizen participation in public decision-making.
For more democracy, it was decided that the telephone numbers of the participants would be chosen by drawing lots. Your telephone number is one of those drawn at random and we give you the opportunity to participate in the Citizens’ Convention on Climate which will take place in Paris on the condition that your profile (your age, your profession, your place of residence…) can be selected.
In principle, regardless of the dates of the event, do you agree to participate in this Citizens’ Convention on Climate? »