Democracy in Vienna: Active participation instead of watching!

Democracy in Vienna: Active participation instead of watching!

Democracy is not only very important in Vienna, it is also actively lived. On September 15, 2025, the city again draws attention to the importance of citizen participation. The start is the first Viennese democracy strategy that aims to make democracy in everyday life more tangible and noticeable. As the Neos report, a large number of measures are initiated to implement in various areas of society.

Democracy not only demands lip service, but also for serious commitment. "Democracy is not a viewer," is the clear motto that calls for active participation. The initiative aims to motivate people to take responsibility and to actively contribute to the design of their living environment. One key to this is the promotion of institutions that enable participation and contradiction in order to sustainably improve trust in democracy, as is also the case Herfurtner law firm can be read.

Participation in schools and municipalities

A central aspect of the new strategies is the strengthening of democracy life in schools. Here, projects such as the "democracy schools" should pass on the basics of democratic thinking and action to the coming generations. But also within the city administration, more transparency and understandable information are being worked on in order to enable citizens to have a say in urban projects.

The areas of sport and culture are also not left out. Fair rules and the opportunity to participate for everyone are in focus. In addition, the creation of clear rules of the game in the digital space is of great importance in order to act against increasing disinformation, such as the Political education shown.

The way to active citizen participation

The promotion of active citizen participation is not only a question of the principles, but also has tangible advantages. An improvement in trust in the political processes is noticeable when citizens are involved in decision -making processes. Public hearings and citizens' forums offer opportunities to hear the opinions of the population and to make political decisions understandable.

However, the challenges should not be underestimated. Comprehensibility of complex content and organizational barriers can make access to citizen participation more difficult. But there are also progress here: In many cities, such as Freiburg or Hamburg, citizens' forums and transparency portals have shown how increasingly trust in political institutions can be created.

In view of the dissatisfaction with the existing political structures and a falling turnout, it is essential to find new approaches to participation and discussion. The trend shows that a combination of representative and direct democracy, as discussed in various discussion forums, has potential. The newer forms of engagement, especially among young people, are a sign of the desire for change and participation.

In conclusion, it remains to be said: Democracy needs the active participation of all citizens. The invitation to participate applies to everyone, because only together a lively and just dialogue can arise that makes the city of Vienna and its communities more sustainable. So go out, talk, take responsibility - because democracy is not just a word, it is a task and a large part of our daily life.