Dealing with Incivility: How to Handle Angry Citizens
We live in a polarizing time. From politics to the pandemic, the U.S. has experienced a lot in the last couple of years that have increasingly split communities and created a high degree of division among the American people. With a perception of increased division, incivility also appears to be at an all-time high:
In a 2019 survey from public relations consultancy Weber Shandwick, 93% of Americans said they believe incivility is a problem.
A survey from Allegheny College on civility in American politics found that nearly half of Americans believe there has been a decline in civility in the last 15 years.
A 2019 survey of mayors found that ⅘ of those survey reported some type of psychological abuse, primarily through social media, during their time in office.
As people who make decisions that affect thousands in their communities, local government leaders often see the worst of people. From public hearings to social media comments, mayors, city council members and other leaders experience a barrage of negative emotions from citizens who are upset over the action (or inaction) of their local government.
These negative reactions stem from a variety of reasons: perceived lack of control, the feeling that their rights or beliefs are being challenged, a lack of understanding into the decision-making process and potential impacts of the decision, as well as a perception that they are being treated unfairly or disrespectfully.
Ways to Prevent Incivility
As a local government leader, there are certain things you can do to alleviate these feelings and take steps toward greater civility in your community.
Share information for increased transparency. A decline in local news sources, especially in smaller communities, means citizens are increasingly deriving their news from social media, where it’s easy for information to be misrepresented or misinterpreted – especially if the information in question is hard to come by otherwise. Keeping citizens in the loop through a multi-faceted communication plan makes it easier to share information on decisions that could potentially impact them.
Engage with the community. Interacting with citizens face-to-face outside of public forums can help to build the relationship between the community and local leaders and even increase public trust in their local government. Meeting with community groups, local businesses, non-profit organizations and other types of community leadership can help to hear input from a variety of different perspectives and start building a positive civic discourse.
Set the standard for civility yourself. We all know the Golden Rule – treat others the way you want to be treated. When you operate in the public spotlight, citizens will notice how you treat others. Modeling civic discourse won’t ensure that you’ll be treated well, but using unkind or offensive language, engaging in heated arguments, or generally treating others in a demeaning manner is more likely to ensure that others will treat you the same. This applies not only to in-person interactions but social media as well.
Demonstrate that you are listening and responding to citizens. It’s easy for tempers to flare when you feel that your concerns aren’t being taken seriously. In a public forum, appearing attentive when citizens are talking, asking clarifying questions and verbally acknowledging a citizen’s concern can go a long way toward making them feel heard. For interactions that are not in-person, this task can be a little harder. Tools such as a CRM / 311 solution allow municipalities to keep records of individual citizen submissions – and quickly look them up when an angry citizen calls in.
When the village of Glendale Heights adopted a CRM, the ability to easily keep track of citizen concerns with an end goal of better dialogue with residents was top of mind for their board officials. “Our biggest priority was the ability to track everything,” says David Genty, Public Affairs Coordinator for the Village. “That way if a resident asks any of our board members to follow up on something, it’s easy to reference back and say ‘This is where it’s at. We already have a staff person looking into the matter.’”
Additional Resources for Combatting Incivility
For additional reading on this subject, please visit:
Tips to Promoting Civility in Public Meetings from the Institute for Local Government
Specific strategies to help prevent or de-escalate tension or conflict in public meetings
On the Frontlines of Today’s Cities: Trauma, Challenges and Solutions from the National League of Cities
Offers strategies for securing the physical safety of local officials, promoting mental health and well-being in the community, and overall improving civil discourse.
