Engaging the public in the Scottish Parliament’s petitions system

The overarching aim of the research was to provide the PPC with actionable, research-based information on how it can increase both awareness and the use of the public petitions system among social groups which currently make little or no use of the system. The specific aims of the research were to:
• identify the sections of society which do not engage with the political process
• explore the reasons why different socio-economic groups use or do not use engagement mechanisms such as the public petitions process
• identify different ways that the PPC can make the petitions process more relevant to the sections of society which are least likely to engage
• identify the skills and tools necessary to increase participation from the least engaged groups and suggest how these might be acquired or improved.