Understanding petitioner motivations, campaign activities and perceptions of success

Petitioning parliament has seen a revival in popularity thanks to modern-day technology and social media. Over 10 years on from its inception in 2015, the UK Government and Parliament system in the United Kingdom has received tens of thousands of petitions signed by millions of people. Despite the popularity of e-petitions, little is understood about both the qualitative motivations of petitioners and the wider campaigning benefits that arise from using them in terms of wider democratic “goods” and policy outcomes. This article addresses this gap by asking why petitioners began their campaign in the first place, how they campaigned and what outcomes they achieved based upon nine case study e-petitions submitted in the 2019–2024 Parliament. In doing so it provides empirical knowledge about the strategies petitioners employ to influence policy making processes and where democratic value is “added” by using a system that has formal ties to the representative institution.

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