None of the above - Do unhappy consultees ever feel like disenchanted voters at an Election?

If we lived in Spain…or India…or Poland, we could vote for ‘None of the Above’ or NOTA.

It is also the title of a book published last month by journalist Rick Edwards who specifically seeks to persuade younger voters that it is worth taking part in the forthcoming General Election, even if there is little of appeal in any of the parties’ manifestos. Whether the prospect of spoiling your ballot paper is sufficiently attractive to persuade our youth to vote is another matter – but it certainly prompts some serious thinking.

What if this was available to consultees when they respond to a consultation?

There must be many occasions when consultations pose a set of options that are all unpopular with stakeholders or communities. Indeed, a complaint heard repeatedly by engagement professionals is that people are deterred from participating because they dislike all the alternatives on offer. They then equate this with an inability to influence organisations – hence the perceived futility of responding. Would it make any difference if there were a formal opportunity to record a rejection of all options? Something akin to a formal abstention maybe?

Of course people abstain already. They just don’t turn up! The trouble is we have no idea how many are of this view. In an environment when 1% of the population respond to a consultation, how do we know if the conscious abstentions were 2%, 5% or 10%? The rest may be uninterested, not bothered, or simply unaware. The case for NOTA is that we learn more about what people really think.

Another argument in favour is that it merely formalises a situation that occurs already, when there is an open as opposed to a closed list of options. Where it is an open list, the consultor is effectively saying “Here’s our list of possibilities, but let us know if you can think of another or better one”. Those selecting NOTA can then be invited to offer some suggestions of their own.

But there are also reasons against NOTA. It allows people the opportunity to opt out of hard decisions or unpopular choices. That in turn may exacerbate the divide between citizens and policymakers or managers who have to grapple with these dilemmas. It might encourage the further growth of the anti-politics culture, as a substantial number of our people dismiss any attempt to engage them on such difficult issues.

So how can consultors respond to the clear attraction of NOTA for many people?

Here are three suggestions:

• Be far more proactive in widening the range of people involved in developing options. More of ‘the above’ might be attractive if the process of designing various solutions is more inclusive.
• Avoid single options consultations, or ensure that questionnaires do not push respondents into artificially restricted choices. Use open questions and provide sufficient opportunities for free-form text so that NOTA views can be articulated and better understood.
• Offer the means for disenchanted and otherwise disaffected citizens to make their case. Avoid labelling them as Luddites. Welcome their involvement and provide them with a safe space to have a dialogue both with you and their fellow-

People who vote NOTA are seldom saying they don’t care. Few of these would be classed as apathetic and in the context of public consultation, we assume that they have gone to the trouble of seeking out the exercise and offering a view – albeit not one that accords with the consultor’s frame of reference. The underlying cause may be the old truism that consultation is best done early – before too many constraints emerge and before choices become too restricted.

This is one reason why pre-consultation Issue Papers are increasing in popularity – attempts to communicate the nature of the problems faced by the consultor organisation at an early stage. The note to strike is one of Tell us your thinking now so we minimise the risk that NOTA applies. The old phrase insists that we can’t please all the people all the time, and whether such early-stage initiatives produce significantly more palatable choices is debateable. However, it may well improve the odds that occasionally some of the ‘above’ might appeal to some of the people some of the time!

TRIGGER POINTS

• Rick Edwards’ book, None of the Above is published by Simon & Shuster.
• 38 Degrees has a petition in favour of NOTA in UK elections. So far it has 8,800 signatures See http://bit.ly/1j4J7Rb.
• To know more about `Issue Papers’, options development and best practice pre-consultation, contact Remmert Keijzer at the Institute on +44 (0)1767 318350 or hello@consultationinstitute.org.
• Institute Quality Assurance processes focus on six interventions including the all-important Scoping phase when decisions are taken that may influence respondent attitudes to the choices on offer. Talk to Institute Associates for advice or contact Martin Roach on +44 (0)1767 318350 or hello@consultationinstitute.org to arrange a discussion

This is the 275th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement.