Citizens are more willing to co-produce when participants represent community demographics

Despite co-production's potential to address democratic deficits, the role of representation in co-production and its impact on public perceptions remain largely under-analysed empirically. Employing a vignette survey design, this study tests how representation in co-production affects citizens’ intentions to get involved. Our findings show that when a co-production programme features demographically representative participants, willingness to co-produce increases, but the presence of minority leadership alone does not significantly affect citizens’ willingness to participate. These results present the impact of participatory parity, input legitimacy, and initiatives that resonate with a community's experiences on willingness to co-produce; however, they also challenge the long-held assumption that mere symbolic displays of diversity by figureheads are sufficient to drive citizen participation. Points for practitioners: The study suggests that practitioners should prioritise inclusive and representative participant selection in a co-production programme to improve perceptions of fairness and procedural justice. While symbolic display of diversity is often valued, it may not be sufficient to encourage citizen involvement in co-production. Initiatives should actively promote minority interests and focus on achieving tangible policy outcomes to avoid superficial representation by figureheads. Findings suggest that policy-makers could improve citizen participation by providing clear, accessible information that resonates with participants’ experiences, as individuals more attentive to co-production details respond differently.