Citizens using evidence in everyday life

Sometimes the right evidence reaches the right people at the right time. Sometimes it doesn’t, with dire consequences. The pandemic heightened the need to inject best evidence into everyday life. Indeed, the discrete choices of citizens greatly influenced pandemic responses. Now, there’s never been a more pressing time to learn from what worked and what didn’t in relaying best evidence to those who need it so society can better prepare for societal challenges of all kinds—from responding to public health crises to optimizing educational outcomes and racing to meet net-zero emissions. This session will:

• Consider strategies for getting ahead of oncoming crises by getting behind best evidence with everyday citizens leading the charge—either as citizen leaders or non-governmental organization leaders who work closely with citizens.

• Offer insights about ways evidence producers and intermediaries can work with citizens and other decision-makers to put evidence at the centre of everyday life.

• Share ‘pathways to influence’ and key recommendations from the Global Commission on Evidence to Address Societal Challenges, which tabled its report in January 2022.

Watch a recording from this session: