Mapping pre-conditions for (sustained) participation in digital co-production

This chapter guides the reader through influential citizen (pre-)conditions for digital co-production, deploying a Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) lens. TPB posits that a person's behavioural intentions herald their non-routine behaviour, such as participation in co-production through digital means. Three groups of evaluative beliefs shape those intentions: (a) attitudes towards citizen co-production, (b) subjective norms surrounding participation and (c) perceived behavioural control to effectively co-produce. Building on the preliminary results of a video survey experiment, we explore these evaluative beliefs further and consider how they likely affect citizens’ willingness to co-produce public services differently in digital vs. analogue settings. These insights can help to proactively identify and develop strategies to ameliorate the inclusion of certain target or harder-to-reach groups so that digital co-production can entail a story of broadened participation.