Background: Municipalities have been trying to involve citizens as citizen participation is thought to improve municipalities' accountability, the quality of services, and to align policies and services to communities' needs. This study examined citizens' participation preferences in policymaking by investigating their health policy priorities, expectations of involvement, and required support.
Methods: For this case-study the realist evaluation approach was applied to focus groups with citizens and to a workshop with a local panel consisting of professionals, citizens and citizen representatives.