How we measure
Our scoring systems are deliberate, documented, and open to critique. Here is how GovLens collects, verifies, and aggregates citizen sentiment data.
Attendance
Citizens register with a verified email and phone number (Tier 1) or through bank-based identity verification (Tier 2). Each citizen can express one position per legislative procedure: support, oppose, or undecided.
After reading the neutral summary of a procedure, citizens must wait a minimum of 30 seconds before submitting their position. This friction is intentional — it discourages reflexive reactions and encourages engagement with the substance.
Positions can be changed at any time. All changes are audited but individual positions are never publicly exposed.
Group loyalty
The MEP alignment score measures how often an MEP's vote matches the citizen majority sentiment:
A vote is "aligned" when the MEP voted "for" and the citizen majority is "support", or the MEP voted "against" and the citizen majority is "oppose". Only procedures with 50+ citizen positions are included.
Alignment scores should not be interpreted as a quality metric for MEPs. Representatives are elected to exercise judgment, not to mirror public opinion polls.
Legislative stage
The "gap" measures the difference between citizen sentiment and MEP voting outcomes on the same procedure. The gap metric is only calculated when a procedure has at least 50 citizen positions and at least 1 MEP vote.
A high gap does not inherently indicate a problem — MEPs may have access to information, committee briefings, or compromise considerations that citizens do not. The gap is a signal for further investigation, not a verdict.
GovLens uses a tiered verification system: Tier 1 (phone verification) is sufficient for basic participation; Tier 2 (bank identity via iDIN/BankID) provides the strongest guarantee against duplicate accounts. API consumers can filter sentiment data by verification tier.
Caveats
- This is not a representative sample — GovLens users are self-selecting
- Demographic skew: participation varies by country, age, and education level
- Selection bias: people with strong opinions are more likely to participate
- Language barrier: the platform is primarily in English
- Digital divide: requires internet access and technical literacy
- Verification coverage: Tier 2 (bank ID) is only available in select countries
- GovLens is not a poll — there is no random sampling
- GovLens is not a referendum platform — positions have no binding power
- GovLens is not a lobbying tool — we are non-partisan and do not advocate
Questions about our methodology? methodology@govlens.eu Read our democratic responsibility statement